Weapons Dealer
by Fantasy is now Non-Fiction
Summary: "The name's 'Natsuki', Chikako 'Natsuki' Suzuhara."   "Yes, but are you the weapons dealer?"   "Hmmm... Maybe."        OC X It's a secret
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Repairs shop.

"Chikakon, hand over the allan key." The little red fox looked up innocently, then turned and trotted away. "Chikakon! The allan key or this whole place goes kaboom!" The little red fox returned and helpfully dropped the tool beside the girl's hand. "Thank-you." She huffed. Carefully, she secured the wire into place and leant back. "There." The little red fox went for the allan key again. "Ah ah ah~" She snatched the tool before the fox could get a hold of it. "Don't." She tapped his nose with it, "Run off." Another tap. "With it." And another. "Again." The little red fox sniffed and wagged his bushy tail. "Ugh! Why do I bother?" He pulled a silly grin and leapt away. The girl returned to her work desk. Suddenly, the door jingled open, the little silver bell creating a cute little melody. The girl didn't bother to look up, just continued to fiddle with the inside of her metal casing, trying to get the wires together. "Suzuhara Chikako." An emotionless voice spoke. "Wha-at?" The girl dragged, not looking up.

"You repair and deal weapons, correct?" The girl ignored them, flipping down her welding mask instead.

"You'd better step back." She warned. The wires connected and were melted together. A small explosion ensued. Coughing, the girl stood and stumbled away from her desk, wafting at the air. She lifted her mask and shook out her ponytailed hair. "Blegh! That stuff's foul."

"Suzuhara Chikako!" She finally looked up. Two men in black cloaks with red clouds looked at her. One was tall with some sort of giant sword on his back. The other one was shorter, but in the dim light of her shop, all she could see of his face were two red orbs. Her eyes narrowed by the tiniest amount. "Yeah, what do you want? I'm busy." She looked around a little, then trotted off towards the back of the room to rifle through a few papers, then look under the desk holding them and her dinosauric computer. "Chikakon?" She called, "Chikakon?" She stood and huffed, reaching up to her head and pulling the fox from the back of her hair. "Bad Chikakon!" She scolded. The two men looked at her weirdly. Gently, she placed the fox down and picked up a few papery blueprints. She sat back at her work bench and began clearing the smoky, grainy residue. Chikakon leapt up and stood in the dust, leaving paw prints behind. Chikako pushed him aside. The shorter man stepped forwards and she glanced up a little, "Yes?"

"Are you the weapons dealer and repairer going by the name 'Natsuki'?" He asked. She sat back with a frown. "Hmmm... Maybe." She felt his glare, but refused to squirm like Chikakon was.

"Suzuhara Chikako!" The man demanded. She whipped forwards with her own glare,

"That I am and only who I am! How dare you accuse me of such illegal actions!" The little red fox lowered himself in a way that showed how little he liked the situation. The lightbulb flickered and Chikako huffed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Chikakon, can you fix that?" The little red fox leapt up. "Thanks..." The man still stood in an impatient way. "It would be unfortunate for you if we discovered you were lying to us." He threatened. Chikako glared. "Ch. Even if I was this 'Natsuki' person, why would I tell any random person who came in asking for me? If I were 'Natsuki', then I would have a code or a designated time and place for people to connect to me with." Chikakon returned from the back room with a lightbulb in his mouth. He leapt up and unscrewed the old one. He gave out a yelp and the room was plunged into darkness. "Chikakon!" Chikako cried. The room flickered into a dim light and the girl stood there atop her workbench, cradling an electrocuted fox in one arm and holding out an old lightbulb in her other hand. "What have I told you about the electrical system? Turn it off before making adjustments!" He groaned a little, then squirmed back onto his front and leapt down. Chikako sighed and turned to the two men. "Sorry, but I don't know what you two want with 'Natsuki', but I only do electrical system repairs. Y' know, lightbulbs and the like?" The shorter man frowned and the other one dislodged his sword a little. At that slight movement, Chikako drew her katana a little from it's scabbard at the back of her obi. She frowned a little at the taller man's dark chuckle. "Perhaps you haven't heard of us, girlie," He spoke in a rough tone, "But we're the Akatsuki and we don't tolerate lying." Her eyes narrowed a little, but she smirked and let the katana fall back inside it's sheath. "Why didn't you say so?" Chikakon looked up and wagged his tail a little. "The name's Chikako 'Natsuki' Suzuhara. Come with me."

Chikako let down her dark navy hair from it's ponytail and pulled off the coarse material of her work apron. Slinging it over her kitchen chair, she unpinned her wide red sleeves. The two Akatsuki members looked at her warily, but they visibly relaxed when she slung her katana next to her apron and picked up her wooden cane. She looked at them with glittering eyes. "Want some tea? Sake?" They shook their heads to both. "Ummm... Wanna see the weapons? Want any illegal weaponry repaired? What?"

"We want to talk." The shorter man said. Chikako remembered seeing him around the village when she still had parents. His name was Itachi Uchiha and he was a supposed prodigy. Then he killed his entire clan bar one and that kinda all went down the drain. Chikako smiled and nodded though. She prepared a little tea, enough for all of them just in case. Whilst the water boiled, she invited the two men to sit of which they did. Chikako was silently relieved about this. After that, she turned her back to them to continue with the tea, she did ask what they wanted to speak about though.

"We have been ordered to bring you back to the Akatsuki base." Itachi said emotionlessly.

"By force if necessary." The other one inputted. Chikako could feel herself grow cold. She continued to stir and pour the tea though and, relying a little on her cane, carried a tray of cups and the teapot to the table. She could feel the two men eyeing her limp but brushed it off. Chikakon leapt up onto the table and skidded across it. He collided rather messily with the tall shark man. He grinned down at the little red fox, showing his array of sharp teeth. Chikakon whimpered and scuttled off to hide behind his master's sleeve. Chikako rolled her eyes and settled down with her tea. "Why does your organisation want me and who in particular has given out this order?" The shark man blinked at her blunt manner of speaking. In Chikako's head, it was all perfectly polite taking into consideration that her leg was beginning to ache and that they were saying she was going to have to leave her home, shop and two-faced business behind. "Leader-sama has ordered your presence in the Akatsuki. He believes that your skills will be beneficial to the organisation. He also expressed that he would be in need of your other... _talents_ aswell." The shark man chuckled at this. Chikako sent him a glare, then turned to Itachi. "I have no idea what your leader means by 'talents', but I would prefer to stay here. If he is in need of my repair business or of my dealing business, then he can send someone out to place orders or he can do the usual thing and send a messenger bird. I'll gladly send Chikakon here to deliver the order." The two men's eyes darkened.

"I'm afraid we are in need of you personally."

"Sorry, but I have a life for myself here. I won't be leaving. Drink your tea and go." She stood and limped as fast and as haughtily as she could out of the kitchen. A few minutes passed in silence, then: "Kisame, go fetch her." The shark man grinned.

Chikako groaned and lifted the heavy lids of her eyes. A sharp intake of breathe that was her gasp was the only sound in the dark silence. "Chikakon?" She called. The was no reply. "Chikakon?" She tried to push herself from the cold ground, only to find her wrists tied together behind her. Her ankles and thighs were also in the same predicament. The tethers pained her left leg terribly and she let out another groan. A door opened and she looked up at the light. The blue shark man hauled her up silently and her head spun. Her feet slipped and she would have crashed to the ground if the man hadn't been gripping her arm. "Let go." She groaned half heartedly. She only received a chuckle as she was taken from the room and up a set of steps. "Where's Chikakon?" No reply. "My cane?"

"Confiscated."

"But I need it." Another chuckle.

"Leader-sama will determine that." Chikako smirked a little. So she was in the Akatsuki base? She forced her feet to support her weight and tried her best to walk along in her binds. "We going to visit your leader?" She felt the smirk on the shark man's face. "What's your name?" She decided as her next question.

"Kisame Hoshigaki." Chikako nodded. Kisame suddenly stopped outside a wooden door and cut her ropes. She resisted the urge to rub her wrists. "Don't be an idiot." Kisame warned mockingly, then knocked and opened the door. Chikako was pushed into darkness.

Chikako collapsed on her left leg with a yelp. She glared daggers at the door, then hauled herself to her feet, using the wall for support. "Suzuhara-san." Her head whipped up in the direction of the voice.

"Yes?"

"Good. Welcome to the Akatsuki."

"Thanks, but it would've been better if I hadn't been tied up. Even nicer than that would've been if I'd had Chikakon and my cane of which, as a matter of fact, I _do _actually need." She knew she was being a bit snappy and not all too polite, but her leg was killing her and she didn't appreciate not remembering how she got to the base of a wanted criminal organisation. "I would watch your tongue, Suzuhara-san." She was about to give a smart arse comment when he spoke over her. "I wish for you to join my organisation."

"I know _that_ one already." She could feel annoyance radiating from the direction of the speaker.

"You have three options."

_Well that's always nice._

"Join, die or solitary confinement and torture until you join."

_Those however, not so nice._ Chikako frowned. "Where's my idiotic fox?"

"Join and you'll find out."

"Will I get my cane and my fox back, alive and well, if I do so?"

"So long as you do not attempt to escape, then I find those terms agreeable."

"What about my quarters?"

"You will have your own room, with connecting bathroom. They will be of reasonable size and the same as the other member's."

"Except you."

"Except me."

"I get to keep my fox and my cane and my katana?"

"Yes."

"And I get a separate working area?"

"If you so wish."

"Will my shop be kept. Not destroyed or sold?"

"... If that pleases you..." Chikako could feel his generosity wearing thin. She smirked.

"I suppose so... Where's my fox?"

"Well done, you may refer to me as Leader-sama, Natsuki-san. You will be escorted to your room now."

"Wait, where the hell is my stupid-ass fox _and_ my cane _and _my katana?" She felt his smirk, but was led away by someone before she could retort with an insult much along the lines of: 'you lying bastard, I want my fox at least'. Itachi looked down at her when she snatched her arm back from his grip. Limping still, she stormed along by his side in one of her foulest moods. He smirked, something which annoyed her further. "Shut it." She growled, then stopped to lean against the wall. "Where the hell is my cane?" She demanded. Itachi looked at her blandly. "Oh sod it." Chikako muttered. She thrust herself away from the wall and stalked away in as dignified a manner as she could with her limp. She knew Itachi was trailing her, but couldn't care less. She followed her ears to an archway. On the other side of it was a rather busy kitchen. Half a dozen men were all yelling and a few seemed to be brawling with each other. In their boisterous midst were a few who were trying to sit and eat quietly at the long wooden table. "Hey!" Chikako yelled. All of them stopped and stared. "Has anyone seen my stupid fox and my cane?" There was silence for a moment, then some silver haired, bare-chested man yelled: "Who the fuck are you?" Chikako glared,

"I'm Ch-"

"Her name is Natsuki." Chikako turned to glare at Itachi, who's blade-like voice had cut through her like ice. "Hey! That's my-"

"That's your new name." He said slowly.

"Who the hell decided that?"

"Leader-sama."

"That little swine! I'm gonna-" Someone strong lifted her up by the scruff of her kimono top. She hissed and tried to turn around to see who it was. Kisame grinned at her. "What did I say about being an idiot?"

"Why you-" He held out her cane and her eyes lit up. "Hey, were'd you get that?" She asked, taking it from him. He grinned and set her down. "Not gonna give me an answer again, huh?" She stated, leaning on her cane with relief. She felt people eyeing her and eyed them back. "Hey teammates." The silver haired man glared at her. "What?" She challenged. He growled then charged at her, roaring out swear words and swinging his scythe. She ducked the attack lightning fast and jabbed him under the ribs with the tip of her cane. He fell back a little and she stood up, stumbling a little on her leg. "Why you little bitch!" He charged again. Again, Natsuki landed a hit. This time on his wrists. He laughed manically and went to slice at her stomach. She pushed away on her right leg, but landed on her left and crumpled to the ground. The silver haired man's hysterics rang in her ears and her brought the triple-bladed scythe down at her. Kisame thrust Samehada in front of Natsuki, effectively blocking the onslaught. Natsuki pushed herself up with a glare towards Kisame. He grinned at her. "What did I say about being an idiot?"

"_Don't be_." Natsuki rolled her eyes and used her cane to pull herself up. "What's your name?" She asked the silver haired man. He seethed at her and the blue-skinned Kisame. "Hidan." He growled, then stalked out of the kitchen. "Well he's a little peach isn't he?" Natsuki stated. Kisame chuckled and placed Samehada back across his back. "Don't be an idiot."

"Like you keep telling me, however I must take my stupid fox's place and be stupid for him in his absence."

"Is this your stupid fox?" A bored-looking redhead asked from behind them. Natsuki turned awkwardly with her cane and grinned. "Chikakon! Where have you been?" The little red fox leapt out of the grip of the red haired male and scampered up onto Natsuki's head. She smiled and looked at the... boy? "Hey, I'm Natsuki. Thanks for giving the fox back."

"You are welcome, I suppose..." The redhead walked off then, not even deigning to give Natsuki his name. She brushed it off lightly and turned to Itachi. "Can you show me my room now?" The Uchiha gave a 'finally' look and strode off away from the kitchen. The others watched them leave. "Hey Kisame, un!"

"What?"

"What's the girl doing here, yeah?"

"Leader-sama wanted her. She owned the repairs shop and also dealt illegal weapons aswell as repairing them."

"Why'd we need her?" Kisame huffed at the blonde's question.

"To _repair illegal weapons_ obviously."

"Thanks Itachi-san." Itachi didn't reply, but he did dip his head a little before leaving. The door closed and Natsuki flicked the light on. The room was sparse. That certainly was the word for it if ever there was one. In one corner was a single bed made of solid wood and with a duvet on it that looked surprisingly warm. Next to it was a bedside table and further along that wall was a tall wardrobe with drawers at the bottom. On the right hand wall was a door which Natsuki presumed to lead to a bathroom. Natsuki sighed and dumped her cane next to the bed. To her pleasure, she found her katana lying on the pillow. She smiled, then went to explore the wardrobe and drawers. Nothing. She sighed. She shouldn't have expected much. Sitting on her bed, she reminisced of home. Her room had been busy and a complete mess with washing lines about the ceiling holding up her sheets and quilts. Clothes had littered the floor for Chikakon to sleep on if he so wished and her bed had been comfortable and piled high with duvets and pillows. Her window was small, but over-looked the rest of the village. She could see most everything from it because her shop stood on high ground, up a very steep hill with only a few other shops, most of which were run-down like her own. She had old green shutters on those windows and she loved to open them in the morning and feel the sun bless her face. Chikakon liked it too. Sighing, Natsuki fell back on the duvet and curled up. She didn't know what to do. She had managed to keep a cool head in Leader-sama's office, but now, she felt she had made the wrong decision. It was her only decision really, but she still felt homesick. Her job was repairing things and to keep her life alive, she dealt weapons and repaired them. Now she was stuck in a criminal organisation for her occupation. It just didn't seem fair. Surely someone else was better than her at what she did? Chikakon pushed his nose under her arm and she smiled at him gently. "Hey Chikakon." She wrapped her arm around his curled up form in a motherly way and they slowly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to sync94 for being the first to review! Everybody else who read Chapter One, I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to see what Natsuki looks like, she's on DA if you search up 'weapons dealer Natsuki'. You should be able to find her.**

**So far, I've got 8/9 chapters written, but I'll only post once every fortnight or so because I'm really bad with writers block. **

**Thank-you again to sync94 and all who have read Weapons Dealer so far!**

Chapter Two: 'Shopping' and the efficiency of a cane.

Natsuki stared out over her room from under her sleeve. Chikakon snuggled closer into her body. She shivered a little from the cold and sat up, pulling her clothes tighter against herself. Chikakon looked up at her expectantly. "Come on, let's go for a walk." The little red fox stood and followed her out of the room. They walked down through the corridors of the Akatsuki base silently. Natsuki's tabi and Chikakon's pitter-patter footsteps were the only things to be heard. She was glad that her leg was fine again. After a while of wandering around, they found themselves climbing up a set of spiraling steps. Natsuki paused by a little window, hardly the space of her own face. She looked through it and watched the sun rise from the east. Or maybe it was setting in the west? She couldn't tell. She continued up the steps, traveling yet again in darkness. She found nothing at the top, something which disappointed her greatly. She had hoped for either of two things: either an escape, or something that would make staying in the base of the Akatsuki more bearable. With a sigh, she turned around with Chikakon and they returned to the labyrinth of corridors. They wandered for what felt like hours, not knowing where they were. Then they ran into a familiar blue-skinned shark man. Natsuki ran up to him in delight and he blinked in surprise. "Natsuki, where's your-"

"I don't need it right now, my leg's fine." Kisame nodded a little.

"Why are you up so late?"

"Um..." Natsuki looked around. "I didn't really feel tired so... I went exploring and... yeah." She finished, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you know where my room is?" Kisame laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, leading her down the corridor. Chikakon bounded after them.

Kisame pushed open Natsuki's door and she smiled politely at him. Chikakon bounded between their legs into the room. "Thank-you Kisame-san." She said, dipping her head politely. Before she could disappear into her room, he grabbed her shoulder gently. She looked at him with mild shock. "Get some rest, you'll be doing a lot of work tomorrow." She smiled and cocked her head,

"Well I would, but a certain _somebody_ is stopping me." Kisame chuckled and let go of her. He turned back down the corridor and waved lazily. "Don't be an idiot!"

"Whatever you say!"

Natsuki was rudely awakened later by someone rapping on her door. It was opened a moment later and the person was attacked by a flying Chikakon. Itachi grabbed the little red fox by his tail as he went pluming past. "Leader-sama requests to see you." He said in a tone that didn't reflect the flying-fox-being-hurled-by-it's-master situation. Natsuki glared at him from beneath her bed head. "Tell the bastard I'm still sleeping!" There was a dark chuckle from the corridor. "What did I say about being an idiot?" Natsuki froze, then her glare hardened. "Kisame, shut up." He looked into her room with a feral grin, then walked over to her and hauled her out of the duvet. Natsuki yelped and kicked him as hard as she could at such an unruly hour. "Kisame! I could've been naked for all you knew! Put me down!" She shook as he laughed. Her cheeks flushed red in anger and embarrassment when she saw a number of the other members looking out of their rooms to stare at her. "Mind your own business!" She snapped, still trying to squirm out of the shark man's grip. Chikakon trotted behind them, happily wagging his tail. "Traitor." Natsuki muttered, propping herself up via her elbow as well as she could whilst hanging over Kisame's shoulder. He set her down outside Leader-sama's office and Itachi knocked. "Enter." The three strode in. Natsuki eyed a tall man, nearly as tall as Kisame, in the dim lighting. "Natsuki." Natsuki stood to attention. "I am aware that you did not bring any clothes or possessions with you other than..." She caught the wave of a hand from Leader-sama. She tried to growl out an answer, but Kisame pulled on her hair. She bit back the yelp and glared at the blue man. He grinned back in a cocky fashion. "That is why you and Kakuzu here," He motioned towards the other man in the room, "You will be going... shopping." Natsuki tilted her head.

"Why? I can just collect some of my things from my house. No need for anyone to come along with me." She felt Leader-sama's calculating gaze on her. "Kakuzu, I have another mission for you and Hidan. I will inform you of it later, you may leave now." The tall man didn't bother with an answer, he simply turned and stalked out of the room as if he hadn't had his morning coffee. "Itachi. You and Kisame will escort Natsuki to her old home. I will be expecting you back within three days. That is all." The three of them left and Natsuki was led back to her room because she still couldn't find it. Half an hour passed in which Natsuki slipped her katana into the back of her navy blue obi, picked up her cane and went to wait outside her room with Chikakon. After that initial half hour, Kisame and Itachi arrived and they went on their way. Natsuki tried her best to memorise the maze of corridors and hallways and the numerous doors in their walls, but after the second turn, she was utterly lost. The cool freedom of outside was a great relief therefore and Natsuki couldn't help but take her cane by it's middle and run off into the forest with Chikakon. Kisame called after her, being the louder of him and Itachi, before they leapt after the troublesome girl.

Natsuki laughed, feeling the wind streaming through her hair. It felt good to be running. She couldn't remember the last time she went so fast. Chikakon flew by next to her. She looked down and let out another shrill laugh and dropped her cane. _Faster. Faster!_ The surroundings turned to blurs and her feet pounded against the ground even harder. An outcrop of rock appeared before her an she ran for it. As much as she wanted to keep running at that incredible pace, she knew she had to stop. Digging her heels into the ground, she skidded to a halt. Her chest heaved and her eyes glittered in a strange sense of exhilaration. Chikakon clawed up her side and she held him close to her chest. They looked out above the forest splashing out below them. The last dregs of an early sunrise warmed her cheeks and she let out another heart-warming laugh, lifting her little red fox up high. A sharp tap between her shoulder blades silenced her and she turned around with a gasp. Kisame bonked her on the head with her cane, a look of amusement half-hidden behind his scowl. "Ow! Kisame-san, what'd you do that for?"

"For being an idiot and running off. You don't even know where you're going, do you?" Natsuki looked down and shook her head in a childish way. Kisame huffed and held out her cane for her. "Geez, you sure gave us a run for our money though." Natsuki's head whipped up in a grin and she took her cane back,

"Glad to hear it!" Something twitched under the cloth of her hakamashite and she froze. "Um, let's get going then!" Kisame eyed her skeptically, but they did need to get going soon or they would never get back to the base in time. "Since you wasted time running off like that, I'll have to carry you again." He grinned, scooping her up onto his shoulder before she could bolt. "Hey! Hey! What do you mean again? And put me down! You said I gave you a run for your money, so why do I have to get carried?" Kisame chuckled and leapt back into the trees where Itachi was waiting patiently. "Leader-sama made it very clear to us that you were to rest as much as possible before tomorrow."

"Why?" Natsuki yelled, trying to cling on to Chikakon. All she got was a chuckle and a branch in the face. She hauled Chikakon up by one hand and let him sit on her back, then she held onto her cane for dear life and tried to scramble into a less uncomfortable position. "Stop squirming, girl." Kisame said, rolling his shoulder in such a way that it forced her back into her original hanging-over-shoulder-by-the-waist-in-a-very-uncomfortable-fashion position. Natsuki then spent the rest of the travelling day in silence, slung over a blue-skinned shark man's shoulder.

Darkness fell and Itachi decided it was time to set up camp for the night. Kisame set Natsuki down on a rock and she curled up into a little ball, groaning and holding her abdomen. He chuckled at what he thought to be an overreaction and walked off to collect firewood. Itachi looked over at her from clearing the ground a little. He thought to ask if she was okay, but decided not to. She wasn't dead or dying and it was probably just a muscle cramp from being in the same position all day. Kisame came back with a pile of branches and twigs a while later and Itachi lit them with a quick jutsu. The four of them, including Chikakon, sat for a while, Kisame attempting to cook a few rabbits Chikakon had caught. Natsuki refused the food and instead remained curled up by her rock. Chikakon joined her later with a full stomach. Kisame stayed on guard that night whilst Itachi slept.

_The wind rushed by her hair, her feet pounded against the dirt. Rocks and pebbles stabbed into her bare soles, but she did not stop. They did not hurt her. She leapt over a log, feeling the wind press against her skin. An outcrop of rock faced her, a waterfall gushing out from beneath it. Her feet did not slow. They did not stop. She screamed. The wind buffeted her and the spray stung her bare skin like needles. Her eyes slid closed and she pierced the pooling water like a fallen rag doll. A white fox tail swished around her naked body and slowly, she drowned in a tranquil slumber._

Natsuki's eyes snapped open and she shot up like a bolt. Her chest was heaving and she couldn't breathe properly. Itachi looked over at her. He had switched guard duty with Kisame. She patted herself down frantically, then sighed and flopped onto her back. She didn't seem to notice the look she was receiving from Itachi. She had been thrashing about a lot and at one point had let out a little sob, or perhaps it had been a scream? It had been hard to tell at such low volume. Her fox watched over her for a while after that. He seemed to act stupid and downright brainless when the girl was with him, but when she was unaware of him, he was extremely mature and his actions told that he cared very much for the young woman. Itachi let out a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. To him, she was more trouble than she was worth.

Morning came around and Natsuki was again tossed over Kisame's shoulder. However, this time she only hung there for about and hour or two. Albeit, a very uncomfortable one or two hours, but still far better than the previous day. When she was set down, the three of them were only a short distance from the gates of Konohana. Kisame stooped a little to look her in the eye. "Don't so much as try to bring attention to yourself, or try and turn us in. We all belong to the same organisation now, so you'd only be getting yourself and your dealing business in trouble." Natsuki stood frozen for a second before she nodded a little. A confident smirk crept onto her face and she gathered up her usual demeanor. "Of course, don't be an idiot, right?" Kisame grinned and straightened. He and Itachi both pulled on straw hats to hide their faces and Itachi pulled out a bundled cloak from his black robe. He handed it silently to Natsuki and she looked at it, then at Chikakon. With a shrug, she swung it over her shoulders and pulled up the hood. The three of them walked along the path in silence, Natsuki hiding a little red fox in the folds of her cloak and gripping her cane. She refused to play the crippled old woman, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. It would be suspicious if she didn't use it, right? With a shake of her head, she sped up a little. She had lagged behind. She should look on the bright side, she was returning home, even if just for a little bit. She would get to say a proper goodbye to her home and business, clear up a little bit and lock everything up. As well as contact her 'customers' and tell them that she was out of business. _Pah! Like they'd ever believe that kind of story. Maybe if I just say that the interrogation and ANBU are onto me? It's not too rare in this kind of business and-_ A hand on her shoulder stopped her thoughts immediately and she looked to her right. Itachi wasn't even looking at her. He was staring straight ahead. The two men seemed a little on edge. Natsuki looked about, but all she could see were the huge gates of Konohagakure. "What is it? Why are we stopping?" Her head flicked around to look at Kisame when Itachi again deigned not to answer her. The shark man stayed silent too. "Transformation jutsu." A poof and the two criminals had suddenly taken on the forms of worn travelers. Natsuki blinked and sighed. She was useless at jutsu. The Kisame-that-didn't-look-like-Kisame pushed Natsuki forwards a little and she glared at him, but moved on anyway. Kotetsu and Izumo at the gates watched them walking towards the gates and stopped the three of them at the entrance. "Who are you? Please state your business in Konohagakure." The brown-haired one asked. To Natsuki, he seemed a little suspicious of them.

_Ch. I would be too._ The disguised Itachi cocked his head innocently,

"We are simply travellers heading out to see the wonders of the Land of Fire." A polite, if not a little suspicious, smirk. "You seem a little on edge, I've heard tales of how welcoming the Leaf Village is, but this seems a little hostile to me."

_That sly bugger, he's getting intelligence!_ The two Leaf ninja eyed the disguised Itachi, but they were trapped in a corner. Telling him could spell trouble, but not telling him would only cause suspicion and with their luck, they best that could happen would be terrible rumors of how something bad must be going on in Konoha. That would lead to the worst possible situation: nobody requesting ninja for missions and other villages thinking that the Leaf was weakening. Kotetsu's lips twitched downwards a little, "The owner of the village's main repairs shop disappeared without a trace a few days ago." Natsuki jolted a little. This didn't go unnoticed by the two Leaf shinobi. They eyed her closely, "And who are you? Another traveller? You don't look it." They eyed the bulge of her stomach under the cloak. Natsuki laughed a little and rubbed the lump which was actually Chikakon. "Oh, but I am! You see, my husband just loved the idea of seeing the whole of the Land of Fire and I just couldn't refuse, after all, it was a dream of mine since I was a little kid! Of course, I had absolutely no idea we had a little one on the way at the time, but we decided to carry on with our travels anyway..." Natsuki trailed off. The two shinobi were smiling politely though.

"So when's it due?" The brunette one asked.

_Playing the polite game, huh? _"Oh, a little while now! A few weeks and we'll be stopping off in a village for a while and so on, you get the idea!" _Bastards!_

"That's wonderful!" They smiled, "We won't hold you up any longer." With a smile and a dip of her hooded head, Natsuki 'waddled' off with her cane to support her 'pregnant' self. Her 'husband' the disguised Itachi (Only because he was on her cane-free side), kept an awkward hand on her back between her shoulder blades until they were far out of sight. With a quick flick of his hand, he had effectively gave her a sharp whack for making up such an embarrassing story and simultaneously brought his hand back down to his side. Natsuki laughed nervously at his unimpressed and slightly murderous aura. Kisame chuckled beside her. She glared up at him, "What? It got us out of there didn't it? What else was I supposed to say, '_Oh no, I'm actually on my way to obesity_'?" With a huff, she pulled Chikakon out of her cloak by the tail and he scuttled off. Natsuki gave the two men a quick, mocking bow, before dashing off after the little red fox. Kisame huffed and Itachi sighed. "Let's get this over with then..."

"Hn."

The shop door was open when the two Akatsuki finally got there. A furious and stressed voice was coming from the kitchen. When they popped their heads around the door, Natsuki was in the process of slamming her fist on the table and yelling down the phone at somebody. "No! I'm not fixing in one more order! I told you, the ANBU are getting on my case and I'm not risking my butt for you! You're not even a dedicated customer and I haven't known you long enough to trust you! For all I know, you could be working for them! Oh shut your loudmouthed trap already, I'm shutting down for a while and that's final!" The phone slammed back into it's holder and Natsuki huffed. Chikakon looked down at her from in an overhead cupboard. The phone flew to her ear and she dialed in another number. "Hey, Natsuki here... Yeah, hey Shoji! No, no free time right now. Sorry dude. Anyway, look, I'm shutting down for a while, yeah the ANBU are on my case. So, I'll call you when everything clears up. Sorry for the short notice. Look, come by tonight at eight and I'll have that final order ready for you by then. Haha! Yeah, just for you. Alright, seeya at eight." She looked up at Kisame and Itachi with a defiant spark in her eyes. "I'm sure you heard me, so unless you've got any problems, we'll be staying until around eight." The two men didn't look very impressed with her, but there wasn't much they could do about the situation without raising any more suspicion. The two seemed close and if he was a customer of Natsuki's, then there was a high possibility that he was experienced with weapons. He would be an unnecessary and annoying hold-up. "Just gather your things, girl." Itachi said, cold as ever. Natsuki did a 'roger' sign and toddled away to her room happy as could be. "She seems to enjoy being home..." Kisame noted blandly. Itachi didn't bother to answer. However, he did start rather boldly making tea. "We will be waiting here for a while." Was his only explanation.

Natsuki scurried about her room, piling clothes on her messy bed. Most of them were the same as the clothes she was currently wearing, but she also piled on necessities like underwear, _ladies_ things... and nightwear. Chikakon bounded about with her aswell. He pulled out her old white dress camisole that she used to sleep in. Natsuki frowned at him, but huffed all the same and dumped it on the pile. She stopped and stared at her acquired clothing. A wave of longing washed over her and she fell to her knees, frozen in shock. She was never going to see this room again, she was sure of it. Locked up in that base, that dark, dark base, not knowing if it was day or night, not knowing whether an hour had passed, or a day. A choked sob escaped her and a tear unintentionally rolled down her cheek. Everybody would think of her as dead, after a while, no-one would even remember her. She would just be that faded girl who worked in the repairs shop. The only people who would even think of her would be those people who couldn't understand how she wasn't working anymore, how she never finished the job on their plug socket or their computer, how she was never open. How her dear old shop was gathering dust and slowly becoming as rickety and rusty and run-down as the other shops on the hill. How finally, she had succumbed to the dinginess of the old 'ghost-lane', where nothing strove for light. She would be but a faded memory to but a few, nothing but the faded image of 'missing girl' on a poster somewhere to everybody else. The thought crushed her. The thought that nobody would care or remember enough to look for her and she would wile away to nothing in the dark base of some criminal organisation- A hand landed on her shoulder.

Natsuki jerked and her head shot up. "K- Kisame-san!"

"That's far too much stuff for you to bring along." He said, looking at the pile of clothes on the bed. Natsuki rubbed at her wet cheeks in an attempt to gather up her dignity. Kisame looked at her. "It isn't so bad after you get used to it." He tried to comfort. Natsuki barked out a sharp little laugh.

"_Of course_. I mean, I'm _totally_ a big badass ninja like you guys so I'm _totally_ gonna get sent on loads of missions outside the base!" Kisame sighed and hauled the girl up by the arm.

"Look, you don't have a choice either way, so just enjoy the time you have outside the base, okay?" Natsuki looked away. "Natsuki. Natsuki, come on, there isn't anything you can do, so-" Her thin hand slapped his broad one from her shoulder. "My name isn't _Natsuki!_ It's Chikako Suzuhara!" Kisame bit back a flare of anger and stood up straight. "You have been given the name Natsuki by Leader-sama himself, his word is final. Get ready to leave."

"We're leaving sooner than expected." Kisame stated a bit too loudly as he barged into the kitchen. Itachi looked up from the table with a raised brow. "Pissed you off that much huh?" A growl was his only response. Natsuki plodded into the room twenty minutes later with a bulging bag. She dumped it on the table and stalked past Kisame in her most disrespectful manner back into the shop. Itachi raised a brow again, eyeing his blue partner. "She's being a stubborn brat." He huffed, folding his arms and looking away. "She refuses to accept the fact that she had no other choice to join the Akatsuki." Itachi looked up at the off-white ceiling with a ponderous look. "Make sure she doesn't attempt an escape."

"What, that's it? That's all you're going to say?"

"Hn."

"What the hell do you want?" Natsuki snapped, not bothering to look up from her work. Kisame didn't suppress the growl that showed his distaste for her. "I have to make sure you don't try and escape."

"I'm '_part of the Akatsuki_' now, right?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." He muttered in an undertone. Natsuki flipped down a welding mask and sparks flew up around her face and leather-clad hands. She flipped the mask back up and looked at her work. It was a complicated-looking spherical piece of machinery was all that Kisame could tell. "What is it?"

"It's Shoji's business and my income." And that was the extent of their conversation for a good couple of hours. Darkness fell and Kisame still stood, arms crossed, back leant against the wall. Tension seemed to fill the air as Natsuki prepared herself to speak. "I suppose you were right." She said a bit stiffly.

"Oh yeah?"

"_No, I'm just saying that for no reason_." She bit sarcastically. "You were right. I had no other logical choice. I... I was also wrong for snapping about my name." She huffed in a defeated manner. She was sure she could feel his smirk. "Whatever, we're leaving soon."

"Ha! No way, Shoji's coming at eight. I've still gotta finish this baby." Natsuki patted the big hunk of metal. Her eyes were alight with a happy spark at the sight of her work. "You can drop it off can't you?" Natsuki gave him an incredulous look and slammed her head down on the workbench. "Ugh! For an S-ranked criminal, you sure are stupid." A thick growl. "Sure, let's just go _drop off _a huge illegal weapon, it's just like giving back a DVD your friend leant you only on a much larger, more dangerous, scale." Kisame barked a laugh and pushed off the wall. "I'll forgive the stupid part if you finish up quick and call your boyfriend to pick it up earlier."

"He's not my boyfriend. He's a customer."

"Ch. Whatever you say."

"What, you jealous?"

"Ha! No way. Besides, I only met you a few days ago." Natsuki eyed him cheekily.

"Whatever you say~" She pulled out a spanner from her apron and clasped it onto a bolt, wrenching it down with all her strength. The metal creaked and groaned in protest. Natsuki growled back at it and gave one final wrench. The spanner was tucked neatly back into her apron and she smiled at the finished product. It looked vaguely bomb-like. Like Kisame had 'requested', Natsuki called Shoji back for him to pick it up at six.

Half an hour passed in which Natsuki spent her time packing all her work gear, like her welding mask, apron, blueprints, tools and circuit maps. There was a rapping on the door window not too long later. Natsuki kicked the door to the kitchen shut with Itachi and Kisame shut inside and rushed to let Shoji in.

He was a tall man, around twenty-five and only two years older than Natsuki. He had choppy brown hair, long on one side and short on the other with a fringe that covered one side of his face. On the visible side was a black tribal tattoo under his eye. Natsuki smirked up at him and let him inside. "It's a bit of a rush-job, sorry, but it was that or nothing. You can probably find someone else to do a patch-up on it if it needs any more extravagant work, but otherwise, she's good to go!" Shoji rubbed his chin at the large hunk of metal. A smirk appeared on his face and he nodded. "Looks good, thanks Natsuki." He paused, then looked at her. "You take care of yourself. Don't let those nasty ANBU get a hold of you."

"What, or you'll come after me with masses of weapons and the mafia just to get your iddy-biddy sister back?" The man laughed, throwing his head back.

"The mafia? Nah, ten mafias is more like it."

"Of course, your extravagance is one to be rivalled with; why bring one that can do the job just fine when ten will get it done with that much more chaos?" A chuckle from Shoji. "Anyway, I'm off to disappear and lay low for a while, so you'd better take this away soon."

"Sure thing, _sis_." He performed a jutsu, grabbed the metal sphere by the handles attached on either side and staggered off towards the door. Natsuki opened it for him and he walked off down the street with the huge explosive ball that now looked like an extremely heavy box of oranges. Natsuki let the door fall shut and opened up the kitchen. She smiled politely at the two criminals and hoisted her two bags up onto her shoulders. "Are we going then?"

"Took you long enough."

"Kisame, carry her."

"Wait, what? Not again!"

Natsuki spent the next day and a half over Kisame's shoulder.

When they arrived back at the base, Natsuki was told to unpack and then rest up until she was called for. She couldn't understand why she was being told to 'rest up'. She hadn't even walked one step on the way back! With a heavy sigh, she pulled her duvet over her head and settled down for sleep. Again, her dreams were filled with the wind and water and then that suffocating feeling as her lungs gradually crumpled and she drowned. Her eyes snapped open and she let out a little scream. Chikakon leapt away from her face in shock. "Bad fox! You scared me." Natsuki pushed herself up and straightened out her blue nightdress. She pulled her fingers through her hair roughly to straighten the bed head and promptly left the room with Chikakon. She was sure no-one would be up so late at night. She had remembered to bring her wall clock and batteries and from that she could keep a track of day and night. That gave her some comfort. She wandered around the base with Chikakon again. Her bare feet on the cold ground made quiet pitter-patter sounds, cute next to the padding of Chikakon's soft paws. Luckily, she found where she wanted to be: the kitchen. After checking twice that no-one was lurking in corners or on the ceiling, she made her way to the fridge and proceeded to raid it for something edible. Chikakon dove in and hauled out a chunk of meat. Natsuki pulled out something that looked like cheese and bravely started to eat it. She promptly choked. However, the cheese was not the reason for her sudden loss of air. "Chikakon!" Hidan had the little red fox pinned to the wall in a ferocious grip. "You little fucker, that fucking meat belongs to me." He seethed out. Chikakon gulped. A wicked looking black retractable spear flew out of his cloak and he held it under the little fox's chin. A thin dribble of scarlet blood slipped down the smooth point. A smirk grew on the man's face. "Don't you dare hurt Chikakon!" Natsuki yelled furiously, bowling into Hidan. He stumbled back from the blow only to receive an uppercut to the jaw and a front kick to the stomach. He left a remarkable set of cracks in the wall. "_Little bitch_." He growled, swiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Somehow he made the maneuver extremely menacing. He stood to his full height, a little bit taller than herself. The spear flew at her and she barely dodged it, bending back. That left her open. Oh what a mistake. The air flew out of her when his foot slammed into her stomach and she went flying back. The small of her spine cracked against the worktops. She barely managed to evade the follow-up attack. The punch left cracks in the wall. In her position though... Her knee came up lightning fast and collided with his ribs. Blood splattered the worktop. With an infuriated growl and a curt comment on how short her life was and what a pitiful existence she had had, Hidan flew at her like a caged beast. He had her on the ground, one knee digging painfully into her abdomen and a fist of her hair in his fingers. He yanked on the hair and in an instant her neck was exposed. She glared at him as if it could take his life. He took out his spear slowly, teasingly. His knee sank further into her as he put more weight on it and Natsuki couldn't help but let out a whimper of pain. She refused to yell and cry like she wanted to as the cold tip pressed against her neck.

"Hidan!" Natsuki's attacker growled and slammed the weapon down.

"_What_ Fish-face?" Kisame sneered and dislodged Samehada.

"That's _Mr._ Fish-face to you, let Natsuki up." The girl scrambled to her feet the second Hidan had rather painfully gotten off her. She pulled at her nightdress, painfully aware of how most of her legs showed. She hadn't noticed before thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her. Kisame glared Hidan out of the kitchen, then turned to her. "What the hell did you do?"

"_Well, Mr. Fish-face_, he threatened my stupid fox. If I hadn't have stepped in when I had, I believe he would have a spear through his skull right now."

"No need for sarcasm, you're gonna need all the energy you can get, come on." Kisame took hold of her shoulder and marched her back to her room. They ran into Chikakon on the way and Natsuki muttered traitor to him, but nothing else was said otherwise.

"Thanks Kisame-san." Natsuki said. He cocked his head.

"Nah, you're gonna hate me later." She stared for a minute, confused. He stared back, then his usual cocky grin spread over his face and he turned and walked away. _What... was that about?_ She turned slowly, then started to get dressed into her usual clothes. _Why would I hate you Kisame-san? I know we've argued quite a lot, but you're the only person to ever stick up for me here. There aren't many people like you out there._

"What?" Natsuki cried, completely forgetting her place. Leader-sama frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "_Again_, we will be testing you in most all areas of combat over the next few days. Now please stop gawping and glowering at me and let Kisame and Itachi take you down to the arena." Natsuki bit her tongue and swirled around. Itachi led the way out of the gloomy office with Kisame taking up the rear. Natsuki held her head defiantly between the two of them. The three of them walked silently through the halls until they reached what looked like another ordinary wooden door. _Except_ of course for the numerous curved scratches and claw-marks on the walls. And the dried blood splatters leaking out from under the door. Lest she forget her 'impending doom'. Through the door was a dark tunnel with steps leading down in a half-spiral. Natsuki didn't like walking blind. Light suddenly spilled into the tunnel and the stairs stopped. Natsuki poked her head around Itachi's arm and what she saw made her nauseous. Hidan hefted his triple-bladed scythe up onto his shoulder and grinned over at the three of them. Emerging from the tunnel made her feel like she was entering a death pit. The arena really was an arena. It was humongous in every way, shape and form like a roman colosseum where gladiators were pitched against each other. She remembered reading about it in a book once. Not once had she thought she'd be participating in such a death match. She looked about as the two missing-nin left her side. Eight figures in black cloaks with scarlet adornments watched from the crumbling stone steps that were the seating. She recognised the redhead boy and Kisame and Itachi of course. She could also pick out Leader-sama and a few others, but she knew none of them by name. Natsuki shifted on her cane and turned to look at the silver-haired Hidan. He gave her a feral grin, one that simply screamed malevolent intent. "I'm gonna make you pay up for that fucking rat of yours, bitch."

"He's a fox actually, just in case your brain couldn't comprehend the species leap." She could see he was well and truly pissed off now. All the better for her. With a roar, he plunged towards her.

Natsuki managed to dodge the first attack by leaping back. That didn't take him long to recover from though, not even a few seconds. The second attack was a slice to the gut. It almost caught her. As fast as she could with the back of the weapon swooping past her, she rapped at Hidan's wrists as if she were playing a harmless game. She wasn't being cocky, oh no, she was being 'shy'. Truth be told, she was taking caution. Something about him right now made her think twice about her every move, time she knew would cost her eventually.

Her breathing was ragged. She didn't get how he could be so strong, sure he was in the Akatsuki, but seriously? She could hardly touch the guy, let alone inflict any reasonable amount of damage! She was so weak it was humiliating. The scythe flew at her again and she skirted by it, dashing forwards. Her cane abandoned in a previous skirmish, she whipped out her katana and aimed to run it through his heart. Something pierced her abdomen and she gasped, droplets of crimson blood dying the ground. She looked down to see a black spear partway through her stomach. Resolution formed inside her the second her eyes connected with his violet orbs, mocking her in every possible way. One word formed on his lips: _"Bitch."_

The resolution to beat him even if it destroyed her in the process took over her and she lifted the katana. It plunged deep into his flesh. "_Bitch yourself._" She sneered back. Hidan smirked, then cackled. The spear flew out of her. Without the support, painful as it was, she dropped to a crouch, wrapping an arm defensively around the bleed and glaring up at the maniac. He went out to lick the spear, but before he could do anything, a flying katana had taken the weapon from his hand. A fearsome glare fell upon her as she forced herself to her feet. "Man that stings." She joked, stumbling forwards. Her fist raised and swung across his jaw. She heard a prominent crack, but he didn't fall like she'd hoped. He sneered and yanked on the cord for his scythe. Nothing came to his hand. "What-"

"I cut the cord," Natsuki smiled weakly. "When I threw my katana." A fist suddenly embedded itself in her gut and she let out a choked gasp, landing on her back. "Damn that hurt." Hidan's foot rammed into the hole in her abdomen and she cried out in pain. And in that pain she raised her arms and thrust them into his chest. Fire scorched his bare skin and he shot back. Natsuki rolled onto her side and panted at him, barely able to catch her breathe from the blood loss. She refused to lose though. Again she struggled to her feet.

"That is enough." Leader-sama's voice rose through the tension. Natsuki's head whipped around.

"Fuck off." Mild shock ran across a few of the member's faces. "No way am I losing to a dumb brainless idiot like this."

"Very well," Leader-sama smirked. "You may die."

"Thanks, I'm glad I got permission 'cos I _so_ needed it." She approached Hidan at her sluggish pace, lurching now and then on her shaky legs. Blood stained her kimono, but she couldn't care less. It was red anyway. Hidan lunged and they engaged in combat yet again.

Natsuki's back hit the ground and Hidan aimed another punch at her face. She dodged this time. Her eyes snagged on the wooden form of her cane and, taking a punch from the other side, she grabbed it and rammed it under his chin. His head snapped back and she whacked his left side as hard as she could, then the right. With grunts of pain, he managed to keep his knee on the gash in her gut. She quickly shot one hand to where the scabbard for her katana was and she came out with a little piece of glinting silver. A small dagger slashed the man's neck and he yelled. With another deft cut, his swearing, cursing head rolled across the ground. Natsuki sighed. Her limbs grew heavy and her arms dropped to her side. Slowly, the world drifted into darkness.

Everything was quiet when Natsuki came to. She cracked her eyes open only to find that she wasn't in her room. She was in some light place, with light grey stone walls and a bed with white sheets. Pain shot through her entire body when she tried to sit up a little. _Ow..._ Very carefully, she looked down her body. Her entire abdomen and chest was encased in bandages. The door clicked open. "Natsuki, you're awake..." She stared as Kisame stood in the doorway. "_No, I'm an apparition of your active imagination_. Of course I'm awake you dolt!" He chuckled and brought in a tray of food. "Still sarcastic as ever I see?"

"Meh. Who cares. Where am I?" Natsuki asked, surveying her surroundings carefully.

"The infirmary. Kakuzu stitched you up."

"...Where is my top?"

"Uh..." Kisame went a funny purple colour. "In the wash, it had to be taken off so Kakuzu could sew up the wound and-"

"How many people saw...?" Natsuki's voice had turned a little meek and she didn't look at Kisame when she asked. "J- just Konan, Kakuzu and... uh, well, I wanted to make sure you were okay, s- so..." Natsuki's blush increased. "Please tell me that at least one of them is a girl."

"Konan. You're... not going to kill me?"

"No. Not yet anyway. When I have recovered, I will mangle you for sure. Don't worry." Kisame nodded and sat down beside her sickbed. She refused to face the shark man when he talked to her. How embarrassing to have two guys see your chest... And when you don't even know one of them...

"Natsuki? Will you promise me?"

"Huh, what?"

"Will you promise you won't go trying to kill yourself over some stupid pride next time?"

"Why? I won didn't I?"

"You almost died and worried Itachi and me to death!"

"You're still alive, stop overreacting. And seriously? I don't think Itachi is the type to get worried over people like me." Kisame sighed,

_You'd be surprised..._

Natsuki was back to full health later that week and with another four days of rest, she was able to move freely again. She had a small scar from where the spear had pierced her, but she was alright with it. It simply reminded her of her victory. During the time she stayed in the infirmary, very few people came to visit. Kisame dropped by every day or so to keep her occupied and Itachi came by with him sometimes, though he just read in the corner. The man named Kakuzu was the most frequent 'visitor'. He grumbled a lot about expenses and had a pretty short temper, but otherwise he'd check her stitches and do all the medical stuff.

"Natsuki, it's time to go." Kisame called, entering the small white room. "Natsuki? Nat-" His face slammed into the ground. Two tabi entered his vision and he looked up at the towering figure of Natsuki. "I'm all better!" She smiled, "This is my revenge."

"Yeah, you got me." He smiled. A hint of something odd played in his eyes and Natsuki tilted her head. He hauled himself up and stood back out in the hall. "Come on, you've got another test today."

"Oh yeah!"

"I'll take you to your room and you can get ready."

A knock came on the door and Natsuki finished strapping her katana to the small of her spine. She yanked her hair into a ponytail and answered the door. Itachi looked at her, devoid of emotion. Natsuki wondered why Kisame wasn't there instead. "Leader-sama wished to speak with Kisame." Itachi informed at her questioning look. "Alright." She stepped out of the room and they walked through the halls silently. No-one else was about, so Natsuki presumed they were already at the arena. Anticipation swelled in her stomach and she felt like jelly just at the thought of another battle. It was an excited feeling, but there was also apprehension caught up in the rush of that. They went down the dark stairs again and again the light spilled out to blind her. She froze the second she saw her opponent. His tall, muscular form, blue skin. The massive sword extending down his back. She quivered and the world crumbled beneath her feet. _No... Not Kisame-san, please not Kisame!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank-you to all who have read Weapons Dealer so far and special thanks to…**

_**mariaxxxmadara **_**for reviewing and for adding Weapons Dealer to your favourites! It's much appreciated (it's funny, I startd reading **_**In the arms of the angel**_** a few days ago!) anyways, it's been about two weeks and you asked, so here we go! Chapter 3 is up!**

**-Sorry for OOCness, previous Natsuki-immortality and I do not own Naruto, lo and behold if I did –**

Chapter Three: Indeed this is betrayal.

_No... Not Kisame-san, please not Kisame!_ Natsuki whipped her head around to stare at Itachi. He pitied her with a sympathetic look. Forcefully, she pushed herself on. Kisame didn't look at her when she came to a stop a few feet in front of him. Her hand slowly reached up to grip the hilt of her katana. No cane this time. The sound was tauntingly musical as the weapon slid out of it's sheath an inch or so. The clap of Leader-sama's hands sounded the start of their battle.

The air tore at Natsuki's face as she lunged into combat. He betrayed her, he knew this was going to happen and he didn't fight it. Her mind was blinded with irrational thoughts of his treachery. The traitor! He knew he was her only friend! Her blade connected with the wide berth of Samehada and she was flicked back a little ways. Her feet dug into the ground and she skidded to a halt. Her glare tore into his soul. At least she hoped it did. Her mind reeled. Kisame didn't seem to be making any attacks, which left it up to her to provoke him. But his defenses were as thick as shark skin. He was bound to be a strong attacker. All hope seemed lost to Natsuki. What did she have? A katana and a hidden dagger that everybody knew about now. Him? He had jutsu galore and a huge sword that could stop an onslaught of attacks from Hidan's triple-bladed scythe. Her eyes darkenned and she raised her weapon. Who cared? She could totally beat him! _Higher ground._ The thought ran through her mind in an explosive flash of creativity. She swivelled on her heel, dashing to the side. Kisame watched warily, not understanding her actions. Then it hit him. She was climbing the arena walls! With a growl, he leapt after her. Even if he didn't want to participate in this fight, Leader-sama had ordered him to battle her, so battle her he would.

Natsuki stopped near the top of the arena, the clouds twisting lazily above. Kisame was still in fast pursuit, but she wouldn't give him time to prepare himself, oh no! With an almost sadistic grin, she sheathed her blade and, with all the strength she could muster, pushed at one of the great boulders of fallen rubble on the steps. It crunched pebbles and grit under it's belly as it began to roll. With one final push, the rock dislodged itself and tumbled down the steps. Easily avoided. The next didn't take so long to move, nor the next or the one after that. Each was more difficult to avoid as they roared down in quick succession. Just as Kisame cleared a particularly large boulder, Natsuki launched her attack. With one deft kick off from the steps, she drew her katana and, as Kisame landed, barged into him with her shoulder with all the force of gravity and speed behind her. Kisame was bowled over backwards and he rolled down with the boulder. Natsuki grabbed hold of an old vine as she leapt after him. He thrust out a hand to halt his decent and stood. His hands flew together in a blur, but Natsuki wasn't about to go down without a fight! She threw the vine, her katana tied to one end. It slashed at his hands, but Kisame wasn't an S-ranked criminal for no reason. The last sign was made and with one sharp yell, a torrent of water crashed from Kisame's mouth and raged towards her. Natsuki yelped and was dragged under the great surge. Her legs kicked and her heart fluttered in unbridled panic. This was like in her dreams! Her feet hit a step and she kicked up. With a gasp, her head surfaced and she floated on the rushing waters. Kisame was flying at her fast. In absolute fear of drowning, she screamed and thrust her arms before her face in defense. Fire of such a great extent burst forth from her arms and seared and raged into a great writhing wall. The water at it's feet roiled and Kisame, in his haste, was unable to stop himself. He only just managed to save himself thanks to a quick number of water clones to drag him out of the way. Natsuki let her arms fall and stood in aghast horror at the water surrounding her. It's vast body struck a cord of fear in her and it took all her might not to scream again. Her legs worked automatically, taking her up the steps and away from the waters. Dry land was a haven, but not for long. Kisame was back again.

It was a long and arduous fight, no jutsu, just their two blades, locked in mortal combat. For hours their battle dragged on and on to reveal no victor. Natsuki was constantly at a disadvantage, but she worked hard to gain her ground and keep pushing him one step back at a time. Neither would give in though and she could feel herself losing strength and concentration. Often she faltered and would stumble or miss. She would let easily avoidable attacks hit her and eventually, she was gasping on her side, her chakra, what little she had left of it anyway, being sucked from her throat by a ravenous Samehada. Her eyelids grew heavy and before she could utter the word 'traitor', she had sunk into darkness.

Natsuki woke up in her room much, much later. She had no idea how long had passed since she lost her fight, all she knew was that it was either one in the afternoon, or one in the morning. Nobody was about, not even Chikakon. The thought wormed about in her brain, so stiffly, she got out from under her covers, changed into a clean set of clothes, grabbed her cane, and went to look for him. She was walking slowly down the halls, still half-asleep, when a short figure came into view. He was in the customary Akatsuki cloak, but with the distance, she couldn't tell who they were. She carried on walking. It turned out to be the redhead boy who found Chikakon for her on her first day. He hadn't deigned to give her his name though. He stopped though and with lazy brown eyes looked up at her a little. "You did well against Hoshigaki. He's a tough opponent with immense physical strength and unnatural stamina." Natsuki blinked a little.

"T- thank-you, but I still lost."

"Yes, well, it's to be expected against a Swordsman of the Mist."

"A Swordsman of the Mist?" The boy nodded. It appeared he wasn't willing to delve deeper into the subject and was about to leave when Natsuki called after him. "You haven't seen my fox have you?" He looked up at the ceiling, then gave a heavy sigh an turned back the way he came, waving a hand. "Come with me."

They walked down a corridor, lined with doors like all the rest. But then, they suddenly all stopped on the left hand side. At the end of the hall, there was a dark turn left with a few steps running down into the red darkness. The boy walked down them and they came to another wooden door. He pushed it open to reveal a small room. It was cast in the same reddish light as the steps and it was surprisingly tidy in a cluttered kind of way. To the right was a desk with a chair, books and a few pens and sheets of paper piled high on it's surface. In the left-hand corner of the room was a bed, roughly made and still a little crumpled. The bedside table held a photo-frame which the boy quickly walked to and turned face-down. Natsuki blinked, but turned her attention to a dark doorway opposite the door they had just walked through. It appeared to be a corridor of some sorts leading to an extra part of the room? She eyed to walls next though and was quite shocked to see wooden puppets, all around the size and shape of an average person, hanging on the walls. The boy cleared his throat impatiently. Natsuki turned to face him, he had Chikakon in one hand, holding him out by the scruff of his neck. "He seems to like it down here." The boy stated as she took the little red fox back, scolding him quietly as she did. "Huh? I guess so. This is twice now, right?" The redhead cocked his head to the side and smiled a little. "Eight times actually, but he's usually on his way pretty fast."

"Ah, I hope he hasn't caused much trouble, he's awful at times." The boy chuckled a little bit, but reassured her that Chikakon was very well behaved. "That's new... When'd you learn that one, huh?" Natsuki muttered to her companion. The redhead found this quite amusing and they ended up talking for a small while after that. Natsuki discovered that the redhead was called Sasori and hailed from Sunagakure. They griped about the bad parts of the Akatsuki, of which Natsuki had plenty to say, and looked at what she could have done better in her fight against both Hidan and Kisame, and eventually, Natsuki became drowsy and fell asleep. Sasori sighed and scratched his chin. Gently, he drew a blanket over the girl's stooped figure and settled down to rest his eyes (something he did very rarely these days).

Natsuki walked through the corridors again. She had woken up later in Sasori's room and though he hadn't been there, he had left a little note with a hand-drawn map of how to get to her room or the kitchen from his room. Leader-sama's office was also marked down, along with most of the other member's dorms. Names in red, like Hidan's, Natsuki presumed to be the more volatile members. She was on her way to the kitchen at that very moment though. Sasori passed her in the corridor with a small smile and a nod. "Don't be so quick to judge what one may be forced into doing." He murmured under his breathe as a parting gift. Natsuki stopped and stared after his retreating back. With a frown and a shake of her head, she continued on to the kitchen to ponder why he would tell her such things.

_Ugh._ Kisame was there. She had half a mind to turn around and go back to her room. Chikakon was hungry though and so was she, so she would just have to put up with his presence for a little bit longer. She stalked past him to the fridge and used the door to shield her face from view. For once, it didn't look completely barren inside. Chikakon dove in and pulled out some sort of big fish. Seriously? What kind of organisation was this, weren't they concerned about the health risks of not sealing raw foods? "Remember what happened last time." Natsuki warned the fox. He stared at her demurely, then turned tail and ran. With a roll of her eyes, she searched through the fridge some more and decided just to make do with a cold bowl of rice that was sat in there teasingly. What? She didn't see anybody's name on it. She followed in Chikakon's footsteps and bolted from the room.

The door slammed shut and Natsuki leant against it, grinning. Chikakon was biting at the fish on the floor. She walked past and sat cross-legged on the bed to eat. As she ate, she looked at Sasori's map. So, did this make them friends? He said not to judge for what someone might have been forced into... Did that mean Kisame wasn't at fault? Or was it some clue to the future? Nah. That was way too deep. She read the names on the map for the second time that day. Hidan was in red. Pein was underlined in red, but his name was black like Sasori's, Kisame's, Itachi's and some guy named Deidara, though he had a little red anger mark next to his name. That woman, Konan, her name was in black too. Kakuzu... he was the medic guy who stitched her up. His named was in red and there was one more. Zetsu. She'd never heard of him before. His name was red though aswell, so she decided to steer clear of him. If only the same could be said for Hidan. With a snort, she shook her head and shovelled more rice down her throat. A knock came at her door and she jolted. Hidan? She grabbed her katana and threw it's sheath back onto the bed. Her other hand took her cane and she cautiously opened the door, sharp bladed weapon poised at the ready. She immediately tried to shove the door back shut. Kisame grunted as the wood barged into his bruised-up arm. Natsuki threw herself at it once more before settling down to glare up at him. He looked down at her. Ten minutes later, she growled and caved, hurling the door open and stalking back to her bed. He stepped in and shut the door in what you could almost call a meek way. When used in the context of an S-ranked missing-nin. "Your fox stole my fish." He stated, breaking the silence.

"You should have put a label on it then." Natsuki bit, refusing to look at him. Maybe he wasn't at fault? Leader means leader of course and leaders have to be obeyed. _Ch. Hardly! He's an Akatsuki for God's sake._ "Look, Natsuki, I'm sorry." He said, "But I was under orders. You don't know what would have happened if I hadn't done as Leader-sama said!" He knelt in front of her and touched her shoulder. "I was set in place to test your stamina and how you dealt with water jutsu. He would have had you tortured if I hadn't agreed!" Natsuki stiffened. "... Why the hell are you always right?" She said in fake-frustration, tugging on his hair. He grinned and laughed, razor teeth showing. "Do you want that fish back?" Kisame looked over at Chikakon's snack. He stared back with the tail clamped between his teeth. "Nah, I think I could handle one less fish."

**Short but sweet? I dunno. Anyways, I've changed it from updating every two weeks to every two reviews. So review away! Please? I'm not asking for much, just feedback etc.**

**Arigato!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alrighty, thank-you to everybody who is reading this, but special thanks goes to…**

_**Vivid**_** and **_**Brave Little Lion**_** for reviewing! **_**Brave Little Lion**_**, I'm sorry but all things have to come to an end, but I promise that it won't be any time soon!**

**-Sorry for any OOCness and I don't own Naruto!-**

**.com/gallery/**

**The above link goes to pictures of Natsuki, in case any of you wanted to know what she looks like and couldn't find her from searching DA.**

Chapter Four: Good times.

Natsuki trotted down the halls in an exponentially good mood. It had been two days since she and Kisame had settled their arguement and she was finally feeling better about staying with the Akatsuki. She wasn't through the woods yet though. In fact, she was headed down to the arena for her next fight that very moment. Sasori had kindly marked it down on the map the day before, so she was able to get there herself. She vowed not to get angry or upset with her opponent this time, even if it was Sasori. He was definitely up there with Kisame when it came to friends in this place. She bounded down the dark steps without fear and walked out to face her opponent. _I'm dead._ Itachi's jet black orbs assessed her stoically.

If Natsuki had any sort of plan, it immediately evaporated from her mind the second her eyes connected with his. He was Uchiha. He was supremely intelligent, she couldn't even take the risk of _daring_ to look at his face. She was fighting blind in a battle she couldn't possibly win. But hell! She'd give it her best shot! Leader-sama's hands coming together resonated through the great arena. They leapt forwards. It seemed Itachi didn't want to drag this battle on for too long. Natsuki kept her eyes glued to his feet. She tracked his movements, only allowing her eyes to wander up to his hands to watch for any attacks. They clashed, katana against kunai. They sparred for a mere second or so before leaping apart, then diving back in to try and disarm the other yet again. Natsuki freed one hand and used it to sweep up a handful of dirt as she ducked another attack. She threw it at his face with her next attack. He coughed and recoiled slightly, but he was a ninja. A prodigy. He had ears. Her forward strike, a thrust to the gut, was deflected and in her shock, she forgot. Everything slipped from her mind as her eyes connected with the twisting black tomoes of the sharingan. _Damn it._ Natsuki collapsed to the ground.

"Ngh..." Natsuki twisted and writhed a little. Her eyes cracked open, fell shut, then emerged once more. The room was blurry. She couldn't tell who's room it was, but it wasn't light enough to be the clinic, nor dark and red enough to be Sasori's room. With a few blinks, one eye cleared a little. Another blink and she could see a little better through both eyes. Good. It was her room. She sat up slowly and slipped out from under the sheets. She felt awful; groggy and heavy like she needed to get out and _do_ something. Feel the breeze, anything. To solve that problem, she first went to take a shower.

As the hot water ran down her back and pummelled her head, she wondered where Chikakon was. _I hope he's not pestering Sasori again... He must be getting sick of that fox by now. _She supposed so long as he wasn't stealing food and getting into trouble though, it was the better of two evils. She glanced down her body to inspect the insurmountable amount of bruises she had mottling her body. There were still plenty from her fight with Hidan, but they were more the sore-skin, no-colour kind of bruises. She guessed she wasn't conscious to see the blues and greens and purples she was sure they had been. Her fight with Kisame. Now that gave her a few corkers. There was a huge greenish, bulging bruise extending across her shin that was pained by even the lightest touch of the hot water. There were a few across one side of her ribs and another on her arm, just above her wrist. It too was sensitive to even a gentle touch. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. At least Itachi had been polite. She only received a few scratches from that battle and mainly around the cheeks or shoulders. She had lost so easily though! The feeling of disappointment and utter weakness and idiocy mocked her and forced her into an almost paranoid state. _I bet they're all laughing at me for being such a fool._ Her downcast eyes suddenly snapped up, had they retrieved her katana for her? She had let it fly from her hand- "I'm such an idiot." She resolved, turning the water off. "But next time, I won't loose. I'll get some practice in like I should have done from the start."

The arena was peaceful and bright. There was no ceiling or roof to guard out the light and the cool winds breezed by in a refreshing manner. Natsuki had found her katana leant against her bedside table and it was thankfully unscathed. She stared up at the clear blue sky, wisps of cloud drifting by in their relaxed manner. Her white summer dress was tousled by the wind and as if in some lucid dream, she mounted the steps up the arena. Further and further up she climbed, eyes still latched to the sky above. With every step, the air grew fresher and the wind ever more refreshing. Natsuki could feel her heart lightening. The grogginess and sluggish feeling of a mere hour ago deteriorated with each footfall and finally, she reached the top. Feeling on top of the world, Natsuki pulled herself up and out of the base to look over the world she belonged to. Her hair and the skirt of her dress dragged behind her in the wind, the sun gently caressed her face and shoulders and she closed her eyes, listening to all the sounds around her. It was truly magnificent. She looked down and around her. The top of this domed cliff was unscalable from the outside, it would be an impossible affair to get down or up from this place. The tiny thought of escape at the back of her mind was immediately crushed. With a soft sigh, she lay back on the cool rock and let life pass her by for the time being.

"_Natsuki! Natsuki?_" Natsuki's eyes shot open and her heart pounded for a second. Then calmed own when she heard the voice again. Propping herself up on on elbow, she looked over the ledge of the long-crumbled ceiling. Itachi was far, far down below, a little black speck in fact, turning around in circles and calling out her name. Her hand fumbled about for a little pebble and she threw it down. It only reached about half way down the steps. Itachi heard it though. His head whipped around to find the source of the noise. Another pebble landed near it's predecessor and Itachi finally looked up. Natsuki waved at him lazily. A minute later, the Uchiha had leapt his way up the steps to stand next to her still-lying body. His figure shaded her eyes from the sun and she was able to see his face. "You are not to disappear like that. Leader-sama would have you killed if he thought you were attempting an escape. And as of now, we need you for repairing our weaponry and creating new things of that nature." Natsuki blinked slowly in response.

"So you were the search party?"

"Hn." He nodded. She nodded back lazily.

"Okay, I'll come down now-" She yawned, revealing sharp canines. "I got a little sidetracked I suppose." There was no response, but Itachi waited for her to get up before making his descent. Natsuki followed lazily behind, still in her sleepy, dream-filled demeanor. When they got to the bottom, Itachi took her to the kitchen to eat (her stomach had been complaining boisterously on the way down), before leading her over to Leader-sama's office. Apparently he wanted to see her about her disappearing.

Itachi knocked on the door and waited until he was told to enter. Natsuki slipped in after him and they stood before the head of the organisation. "Natsuki-san, you played a little vanishing trick on us just now." He stated blandly. She shrugged back, "Not particularly. I was in a quite easy to find place and I wasn't trying to escape, just get some air and enjoy the weather. It's very beautiful today." Her casual response seemed to irk Leader-sama a little bit. "Must I stress how little control you have over whether you live or die? By my hand, by my orders, I can have you killed immediately. I warn you now, treachery will not end in your favour." Natsuki bit her tongue, something she had been doing quite a lot recently. She didn't like it, it felt like she was being trained, but it kept her and most likely, Chikakon, alive, so she would put up with it and bear it with her head held high. "On other matters..." Leader-sama continued, "You and Itachi will be training regularly from now on. He has already been informed of the details, you are dismissed." With that final word said, the two were shooed out of the office by the finality in his tone and that was the end of that. Natsuki didn't feel all too pleased.

"No, you have to summon the chakra in your body-" Natsuki cut off the Uchiha with a glare. "And then manipulate the chakra like so," He performed a few slow hand signs (excruciatingly so for Itachi), fire streamed forth in a great raging ball, tearing it's way across the arena. "And there you have it. Performing a jutsu."

"I can't do it!" Natsuki yelled again, for the forty-fifth time that day. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yes, you can. You have performed a fire-style jutsu at least twice in your life. Once against Hidan, and another against Kisame."

"But that wasn't willingly! It just happened!"

"And that is why we are here." He almost snapped. His patience was wearing thin. "You can perform a basic jutsu, but you cannot yet control when or how you use that jutsu. We are training here so that you can _learn_ how to control this. So try again!" Natsuki grumbled a little at the speech. He seemed to become awfully talkative when peeved. She focused yet again on gathering her chakra together. Her eyes closed and brows met in a frown. She remembered the hand signs taught to her by Itachi. With all her might, she forced the chakra together into the center of her being. Her hands thrust together in a clumsy fashion and she brought a hand to her mouth. Nothing. She tried again to spit out a searing torrent of flame. Instead, she stood there like an idiot. With a noise to greatly show her frustration, she pulled at her hair and threw herself on the ground to sit and protest moodily. Itachi resisted the undeniable urge to rub his forehead. She was far too violent in her chakra manipulation. "We will continue this another time." He said, exasperated. "But think on what I tell you: you are too violent when you try and bring forth your chakra. Bring it gently, even if it takes a long time, you have far more chance of succeeding than you would if you try and force it against it's will. Chakra comes into being by bringing together mental and physical energy and harmonising it." With that, he straightenned and walked away. What a day... she was a hassle for sure.

_I'll show him._ Natsuki thought, still sulking in the middle if the arena at midnight. She stood and focused on her chakra again. _Gently, combine mental and physical strength... Easy does it... _She threw her hands together and tried again to summon forth a stream of fire. Nothing. Again. _I won't give up._

She continued on until early morning as the sun began to lighten the sky. Not once had she managed even a spark and the disappointment was crushing. She sighed and let it go. She had time, she was only there to repair weapons, right? So it wasn't like she had to go into any serious fights. It was another warm day, but she didn't feel like relaxing in the sun again, so she went back to her room instead to shower and change into her normal clothes. Chikakon was still nowhere to be seen even after her shower, so she went out to look for him. She checked the kitchen first, mainly because she was starving. Kakuzu and Itachi were sat at the table, each with a steaming mug in their hands. Itachi looked like he had tea, whilst Kakuzu seemed to have coffee. Natsuki didn't like coffee much. Tea was far, _far_ better. She made do with the meager fridge rations yet again before heading out to find Sasori's room.

"Sasori?" Natsuki called, knocking on the redhead's door. "May I come in?" There was a sharp clatter and a fumbling sound before he cracked the door open. "I presume you're here for Chikakon-san?" He asked, speaking of the fox fondly. "Yes, I thought this was as good a place as any to start-" Sasori's eyes were troubled. "Sasori? Sasori, what's the matter? Is Chikakon-"

"He's not here, he was last night, but he seems to have disappeared." The world seemed to dim a little.

"Oh... well, I'm sure he just got lost, the silly little fox! I'll go look for him, thanks Sasori-san!" Natsuki waved as she headed back up the steps to the corridor. She set off at a dead run the minute she heard the door shut. _Chikakon you stupid fox!_

Natsuki searched for the rest of the day, missing her training session with Itachi, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find her little red fox anywhere. For the first time in her life, she felt truly, _truly_ lost. Chikakon was in her earliest memories. Every memory she could recollect, Chikakon was with her. _He'll turn up._ She kept telling herself. At least she knew Hidan didn't have him. She had gone straight to him first, then Kisame, and then Leader-sama to make sure he hadn't decided to punish her for something or decided to gain extra control. He had said didn't care about Chikakon and she therefore deduced that he didn't know where her stupid fox was. She trudged back to her room in a dull mood. He wasn't anywhere in the base it seemed. She could only hope that he would turn up soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everybody who's still reading this! This one should be more interesting than the last, but it's still a little short. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter Five: Proud.

"You lost two fights in a row, un." The blonde smirked, standing before the peeved Natsuki. The wind tugged at their hair. She let the sadistic observation of how his hair was longer than her's flit through her mind. "I'll beat you to a bloody pulp." She bit. Three days without Chikakon had left her in a foul mood.

"Bring it, yeah."

"Don't worry, I will."

Deidara laughed down at Natsuki, jeering her and howling with amusement as she continued to be unable to reach him. She leapt out of the way of yet another cricket-bomb. Something sticky attached itself to her finger and she jolted, flicking out her hand sharply. The clay masterpiece detonated midair, not a moment too soon. She sent a burning glare up at the terrorist. A fiery sensation built up in the pit of her stomach and she slowly brought her hands together. Her fingers intertwined. Itachi watched in wonder from the steps. Was she... A great, raging fireball roared upwards, colliding with Deidara's clay bird. There was an undeniable yell and mixed in with the roaring flames, was a furious cry.

"_Great Fireball Jutsu!_"

Itachi knocked on the weapons dealer's door. When there was no audible answer, he cracked it open and looked in. The room was dark, so he stepped inside and let the door swing to behind him. Making his way carefully to her bedside table, he switched on the little night light. He found Natsuki curled up in the corner of her bed, looking moodily out across the expanse of her room. "You did well." He told her. She made a little grunting sound, but otherwise said nothing. Itachi held back an exasperated sigh. "You wish to look for him?" A curt nod. "You do not like it here, do you?" A shake of her head. Itachi was torn in two. He felt much the same in this organisation, but she was not permitted to exit the base. "...Come, walk with me." He offered. It was the least he could do. "It's fine Itachi." She whispered hoarsely. She sounded as if she had been crying. "You don't have to take pity on me. Thank-you anyway." He nodded and left. Secretly, he remained pleased, yet confused at her Great Fireball Jutsu earlier that day. She could have been a very prominent and powerful shinobi if she had chosen that path. Why not? Did her parents not permit her to become a ninja? Maybe they wouldn't allow her to enter because of her leg? His thoughts wandered to how she ended up with such an injury in the first place, straying far from his previous wonderings of how she pulled off a jutsu very rarely seen outside the Uchiha clan.

Nobody really came to see her after that. Anybody who did found that she didn't answer the door and decided against barging in. She had proved herself deadly when upset or angry. She barely even took notice of anyone when she ventured out to the kitchen to get food. Sustenance. Her mind was whirring with plans, thoughts of where Chikakon was. It was all busy and hard at work in her head. So much so that her outside appearance seemed dead to the world. Despite this and thanks to the fact that she had avoided any limbs being demolished in her battle against Deidara, Leader-sama thrust her straight into another battle. Her last battle as he had said. When she stepped into the arena for the last of her tests, she didn't recognise the person crouched before her. He was bent over like an old man with odd hair and a scrap of cloth over his mouth. Natsuki couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something seemed..._ off_ about this person. "I hate to be kept waiting." The man rasped.

"I don't take orders from you." She bit sourly, finally pulling herself out of her thoughts. "But I suppose waiting around is a bit of a pain, isn't it?" They leapt into combat. Well, she did. The man simply sat there and didn't even seem to watch her movements. Something razor-sharp and bone-white flew towards her and she hurried to parry the attack with her katana. It did little good and she was thrust into the ground. The air gushed out of her, but she refused to cry out. The tail, for that's what it was, retreated, but remained poised at the ready. Natsuki frowned. She stood up and focused her chakra, trying to summon the same feeling she felt in her last battle. She pressed her hands together, painfully aware of how the tail shifted it's poise, leaned back... and shot forwards with lightning speed. Too late. She felt the fire, how the flames seared her cold face. Something purple entered her vision and she leapt back in fear of another attack. She searched the foggy plume and determined it was some sort of gas. It didn't have a scent that she could tell, but... She was sure it was poisonous. She had never heard of purple cloaking gas before and she was a weapons dealer. She turned and bolted towards the side of the arena closest to the archway where the tunnel to the rest of the base was. She darted up the sheer wall and then further up the steps. She caught the faint smell of fish from Kisame, the scent of some sort of spice from Itachi. The rusty-iron smell that rolled off Hidan in great waves. She caught a glimpse of the gag in his mouth to keep him quiet and stuck her tongue out at him as she ran by. Leader-sama was stood with them. Her opponent couldn't attack her with poisonous gas if she was next to the other members. They unwittingly provided her with a shield. She surveyed the scene down in the arena first. The toxic gas was rolling about lazily, almost covering the charred patches of earth ignited by her fire. She could only just make out the burnt husk of the man. Had she won? She heard wood tapping behind her and whirled around, katana raised in defense. Sasori smirked at her, fingers tapping against crossed arms. He looked... "You're a puppet?" She deadpanned.

"What gave it away?" He answered cynically. "Now are you going to continue hiding behind your comrades like a coward or are you going to fight me, chicken?" Natsuki growled at the demeaning nickname and launched an attack there and then. She headed straight for his neck, aiming to detach it quickly. He still needed a brain to operate, right? He raised his arms, tattered cloak slipping further from his shoulders. Jets of fire swarmed at her and she leapt up on instinct to escape it's wrath. Her katana was visibly smoking from the heat and she cursed. She hoped it didn't become mishaped. She slipped it back into it's sheath and aimed her landing around abouts... on his head. The small dagger she seldom used only scratched the surface of Sasori's neck before they crashed to the ground. Natsuki flipped over Sasori on impact and her spine cracked against the steps painfully. She rolled to her feet though and exchanged the small weapon for her katana, which had luckily retained it's shape. Sasori was already on his feet and there was another tail-like wire coming from his body. This one reminded her not of a scorpion's tail like the last one, oh no. This one reminded her of a hissing viper ready to strike. Some kind of purple liquid dripped from it's tip and the rest of the metal cord. She was doubtless in thinking that it was poison. She hadn't failed to notice that the rest of the Akatsuki had avoided scorching, all except Hidan, who was mumbling angrily through his gag about his wretched back. Natsuki was about to launch yet another attack when she froze. Images flashed across her vision. A red bushy tail, black paws. Blood. _Chikakon!_ Her eyes widenned in horror and she took to finishing the fight as quickly as possible. She threw herself back into battle. This time, close-combat. Sasori was less adept in this region, but his spearhead-on-a-wire was extremely capable of taking stabs at her back. All of which she managed to dodge. Only just though, only through shear luck and Sasori's kindness. Pain suddenly lanced up her back and she cried out in pain. The shock and suddenness of the attack had caught her unawares. Made her exclaim her agony. The audience looked at her oddly. She herself couldn't understand it. Sasori hadn't landed a hit. He wasn't the one causing this torture. She gripped her katana even more fiercely and bolted. Before even Itachi could stop her, she was diving through the toxic cloud of gas and back into the base. Her feet pounded against the ground and she felt her leg start to flare up, but she ignored it all. Chikakon was in danger!

"Kisame." Leader-sama bit. "Go fetch that miserable excuse for a person and bring her to me immediately." Kisame nodded and bowed, though inside he wondered if she would view this as another betrayal. "Sasori. Clean your poison up."

Kisame knocked on Natsuki's door politely. "Natsuki?" He called when no-one answered. "You okay in there? Time of the month?" When there was still no answer, he opened the door and stepped inside. He had thought saying something like that would have provoked her to come out and bonk him on the head with her walking stick. He flicked the light on and looked around. No sound was heard, he couldn't see her. He checked the wardrobe, ceiling, under the bed, the bathroom. She had gone out somewhere. Kisame sighed in exhasperation and went off to find Leader-sama. Let it be known that he wasn't all too pleased to find that Natsuki wasn't anywhere to be found. He sent for three other Akatsuki members: Deidara, Itachi and Zetsu. The three of them, with the added fourth of Kisame, were assigned the mission of finding Natsuki. Zetsu because, well, he _was_ the Akatsuki spy after all. Deidara could look from above, Itachi was going in case she needed knocking out without causing permanent brain damage and he and Kisame combined would stop Zetsu from attempting to catch a snack from either a civilian or Natsuki. They headed out shortly after receiving orders.

Zetsu searched around for the girl's chakra signature. He found something similar to it, faint and probably disfigured by the smaller chakra networks of other animals, but still the best thing he had to follow. It dissipated into nothing but a dead, rotting corpse of a deer a few hours later though. Apparently, similar wasn't good enough. Similar also wasn't very good to eat either. After a short arguement with his other half, he set off to try and pick up the actual chakra signature of the girl.

Deidara was having less luck in the skies than the cannibalistic venus flytrap was in the ground and Itachi in the trees and Kisame on the ground. He couldn't find the young woman's chakra signature from his height and it was a real pain to go looking for her. Eventually, after hours and hours of lazily flying around and half-heartedly looking, he turned back towards the base. Leader-sama would understand.

Zetsu was called back the following day for a more important mission and it was only Itachi and Kisame left. Kisame searched as best he could, but the surrounding area, with all it's thickly wooded forests, was a difficult place to search for one person. Itachi was tiring too. He had only half the stamina of Kisame and couldn't continue any longer. As much as Kisame knew the Uchiha hated to admit his own weaknesses, he eventually turned back and travelled back to the base. Now only Kisame was left in the search for Natsuki. All the while he searched, he kept thinking how idiotic she was. Didn't he keep telling her to not be stupid? How many more times would he have to say it before she understood? And no way was he taking her excuse of having to take her fox's place and be stupid for him. He'd give her a good clip about the ear for this little trick, never mind Leader-sama's punishment, it'd be like a newborn pup nipping her fingertips compared to the hell he was gonna put her through! After four days, however, he was called back.

After failing one mission, he and Itachi were sent on another: to eliminate a group of Orochimaru's spies who were a bit too close to the base for Leader-sama's liking. It was a success of course. The six nin were barely capable of summoning a tadpole between them. When the two returned, Kisame walked down the halls to Natsuki's room. It was quiet inside, but he knocked anyway. He still had hope. There was no answer and his hope drowned like a candle in an ocean. He pushed the door open. His entire body jolted. Chikako 'Natsuki' Suzuhara stood there, swaying weakly in front of a body-length mirror in a pretty white camisole nightdress. A bushy fox tail swished down by her legs. She turned her tear-streaked face ever-so slightly.

"_Is this what he meant by 'talents'?_"


	6. Chapter 6

**Ummm… yeah, sorry for accidently uploading CH4 in CH3s place. I believe I have fixed that now. Thank-you **_**AntivanArainaiHime**_** for pointing that out and your many reviews, I'm glad you like it and I wish I could PM you to reply properly, same to you too **_**Vivid**_**, but I'm happy you reviewed. After CH9, I won't update very often because I haven't written any further and I've gotten myself stuck in a rut again. Anyways, onwards with the story! **

Chapter Six: Lamentations of lost pride.

"_Is this what he meant by 'talents'?_" She whispered, her voice ghostly in the darkness. Kisame stared, taken aback by her appearance. This was obviously new to her too. "Natsuki, are you-" "_Well?_ Is it?" Her voice raised and broke in anger. Her fists clenched and she limped a step or so closer. He stepped inside and shut the door. He was sure she didn't want any of the other members knowing about her... new appendage. "Get out." She shook with barely restrained anger. When he didn't budge, she said it again. Louder. More ferociously. "Get out! Get out, get out get _out!_" Kisame grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, one hand holding her head in place, the other arm wrapped about her shoulders to keep her still. Her muffled shouts wouldn't be heard now. She could keep her pride. She pushed with all her strength to escape his vice-like grip. She screamed and yelled and bit and scratched. She kicked and kneed and punched and screamed some more. He was impervious to her actions though. Through all her pain-stricken lamentations, he looked down at her small form, her fragile being. The real Natsuki. When she finally calmed down, had finally shed her last scream-laced tear, he loosened his grip on her. She shivered before him, tail hanging limp, arms dangling just as limply by her side. She sniffled, dried her eyes and then did what Kisame least expected. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. She had been reduced to a much weaker form of mentality. She needed comfort. That's all she wanted for the moment. "Please Kisame-san, please stay with me."

"Alright."

Natsuki groaned quietly as she peeled her eyes open. She jolted a little when she found herself curled up into Kisame's side. He was leant in the corner of the bed, fast asleep still with one arm hung over her back and waist. She had fallen asleep with her head on his chest. How embarrassing. She felt her face heating up, but didn't dare try and shake the flush away lest she wake him. She didn't dare even twitch that... that monstrosity of a tail that was now a part of her, for fear of waking him up. She instead let her eyelids slide back down and listened to his heart beat until she fell back into a deep slumber.

Kisame woke up an hour or so later. He looked down at Natsuki's twenty-three year-old body and allowed a light smile to catch his lips, the smile that he didn't show to her face. Never to her face. He carefully used his free arm to pull her blanket over her, after all, she was only in a dress. She shifted a little, her fingers curling around a fold in his cloak. That same smile etched across his face and he waited for her to wake back up. After all, he had said he'd stay with her.

She woke up not too long after. Her bleary eyes cracked open and she looked up at the criminal. It was hard to believe that that was what he really was sometimes. He grinned down at her, bearing his sharp teeth in his trademark way. She tried a smile and sat herself up. She was grateful of the blanket, it was warm and hid her tail. "Thank-you for staying with me." She mumbled, hiding her face. He shrugged it off as if it were nothing and stood to leave. "Any time." Were his last words before leaving. Even before the door shut behind him, he was berating himself for saying something so idiotic. Natsuki waited until the door shut before she let her face turn crimson. She didn't quite understand why though. Why did she flush red when she woke up cuddled into his side? Then the memories washed over her from the night before. Her weakness, showing it to someone else. Someone she, in reality, had known for only a few months. She was humiliated even without anybody else there. Casting all of those depressing thoughts aside though, she went to take a shower. Maybe that would help clear her head.

Natsuki regretted ever even so much as thinking of the idea. Her tail would _not_ dry. It refused point-blank. No matter how she attacked it with the towel, it kept dripping out more water! And her spine and arms hurt from twisting around to reach the higher parts of it. Eventually, she settled for wagging it about like a flipping dog. That, surprisingly enough, worked pretty well. She changed into her ordinary clothes and, after checking that her tail did not show, walked out of the room. She was immediately whisked away down the corridor by who she thought to be Itachi. "Hey! Injured person here, be gentle!" She snapped, focusing most of her energy on keeping her tail down instead of escaping. Itachi gave his usual silent answer and stopped. He knocked on a door. Leader-sama's door. Natsuki could feel the dread seeping into her. Great. Punishment for escaping? Torture maybe? Probably. "Bring her in." Leader-sama's irritated voice called and Natsuki was pushed into darkness. The door shut behind her.

"Natsuki, I do not appreciate such rebellions in my organisation." Leader-sama spoke, encircling Natsuki as she knelt there on the floor. "I will spare you some dignity this once." The whip dragged across the ground tauntingly. "You will not be flogged before the others. However, if you dare disobey my orders again, your punishment will be all the more severe." He stopped in front of her.

"Oh yeah?" Natsuki challenged. The back of his hand cracked into the side of her face and sent her sprawling across the ground. Before she could lift herself up, his foot slammed into her ribcage and knocked out the air from her lungs. She gasped unintentionally and blood painted the floor. "Yes." Leader-sama hissed in her ear. "The next time you step out of line, I will take that miserable wretch you call a fox and I will have it tortured and killed." Natsuki bucked beneath his foot in a vain attempt to show her disgust for him. The whip sliced across her head. Her skin flared up immediately and she squirmed to avoid screaming out. The pressure of his foot vanished, only to be replaced by the searing agony of it ramming into her abdomen. More blood flew from her mouth. She felt as if an organ had been ruptured. Her breaths came harsh and ragged and the impact of her back against the wall almost ceased the actions completely. The whip slashed across her bare ankles and this time she did cry out. Once more the whip was brought down, her thighs burned, then her shoulders and arms. Her clothes became rags in a matter of ruthless minutes. "You see girl," He spat, "It will do you no good to defy me. Now get out of my sight before I find you utterly worthless." Natsuki was servile for once and fumbled her way to her feet. She swayed from blood loss and the dizziness caused by the beatings, and stumbled out of the office. Her hands shook as she tried to recover Sasori's map. Of course she had forgotten even shakier legs, she staggered down through the halls, droplets of blood trailing her.

Kisame stepped out of his room to go and get some food. He stopped, frozen in his tracks when he beheld Natsuki, her clothes with multiple rips and tears adorning them and her skin bloodied and bruised, trying to find her room. He ran to her before she toppled over and caught her by the shoulders. Her hazy eyes looked up and sharpenned a little. "Kisame-san, let go." She managed to say, tugging away a little.

"Stop trying to be tough." He ordered back, leading her to her room. He sat her down on her bed and flicked the lamp on. Chikakon, who had previously been staying in Sasori's room after being found, nuzzled into her hand in comfort. "Kisame-san, I am fine." Natsuki bit out, this time a little clearer. "You do not need to help me, I can bandage my wounds myself." He ignored her and pulled out the medical kit that every Akatsuki member was supposed to have. Hidan of course gave his a ritual burning after stabbing it a couple of times with his scythe. "Undress." Natsuki burned red at his blatant order.

"That's absurd! I can dress my wounds myself, now leave!"

"From the blood around your mouth, I can tell he either kicked or punched you somewhere around the ribs and/or stomach area. You won't be able to tend to that yourself. The back of your clothes is also torn, the wounds there you won't be able to treat properly. I'm not going to look at you in any inappropriate way, now for God's sake Natsuki, let me help you." She sat there begrudgingly for a few minutes, ignoring Chikakon's whining and Kisame's staring. Dying or succumbing to a deadly illness caused by her inflicted wounds would just show everyone that she was weak. If she could just swallow a little bit of her pride for now, she would save a lot more of it, and more of her dignity, in the future than if she didn't. "...Fine." Kisame nodded and started sorting out the medical kit whilst Natsuki peeled her blood-stained, tattered clothes off. She may have agreed to let Kisame help her, but she refused to take her underwear off. That would destroy her very soul. He turned back to her and, like promised, didn't leer at her in any lascivious way. The water and alcohol being wiped over her exposed wounds stung and Natsuki found herself flinching half the time. Her skin burned wherever Kisame's fingers touched her and her heart wouldn't stop pounding from nerves. She never ever wanted to be seen by anyone in only her underwear ever again. It was awkward and humiliating. Kisame remained reassuring however, which she was partially grateful to. He kept his eyes on hers, only ever looking away to find or dress the next wound. When the scrapes from the wall and the few whip marks on her back had been tended to comfortably, he lay her flat on the bed. Natsuki's face really did burn red this time and she looked away. His fingers glided over the tender part across her abdomen where Leader-sama had kicked her. She knew there was very little he could do for her, but he still rubbed some kind of soothing liquid on it and the pain released it's grasp a little bit. Then he moved on to her ribs. There was a nasty bruise swelling up across her skin and she didn't like to look at it herself. Again, he massaged to liquid into her skin and the pain lessened. With some help, she sat up again, face downcast. His hand gently cupped her face and if it weren't for fear of more pain, she would have jolted. Instead, she let him tilt her head up. "What are you-"

"He backhanded you, didn't he?" Kisame asked, already knowing the answer.

"...Yeah." She admitted reluctantly. "It's not so bad."

"You're lucky." He dabbed away the sore skin with that cool liquid again before rubbing it in a little. "You don't have any fractured or broken bones and you haven't ruptured anything."

"How can you tell from just-" He looked her in the eyes.

"I'm an S-ranked criminal, remember?" Natsuki stared back at him challengingly,

"You don't act it half the time." He chuckled and shook his head. His hand left her skin and she felt a sudden pang of longing to have him touch her again. She quickly berated herself for feeling like that and waited until Kisame had gone into the bathroom to put the medical kit back before she leapt up as fast as her wounds would allow her, and pulled on some fresh clothes. Relief swept through her. No-one could see her tail now and she didn't have to deal with extreme amounts of humiliation either. Kisame came back into the room and grinned in that cocky way of his. "Don't be an idiot." And he left. Natsuki stared at the door and wondered, would Kisame keep her tail a secret from Leader-sama? She hoped so. Whatever her 'talents' were, he wanted them and she was sure it was connected with her tail.

Kisame clenched his fist and almost threw it into the nearest wall. That bastard! Didn't he understand that Chikakon was like a second half to Natsuki? Why the hell did he have to go and nearly flog her to death for trying to find her fox? She even came back off her own accord! He gradually got a reign on his temper and stalked off to the kitchen. He was still hungry and he was sure eating would calm him down a little.

Since Natsuki had pretty much 'passed' her tests, she was able to become a fully-fledged Akatsuki. Of a sorts anyway. She wouldn't go out on many missions (What a surprise there), but she would become the organisation's weapons repairer and in her spare time, she was to train with Itachi and a few of the other members. It had been only three days since her punishment for her so-called 'rebellion' and her wounds had begun to scab over a little. Her face was mildly bruised up, with the exception of the large purpley-greeny-blueish colouration embarking it's way across the right side of her face. Her ribs and abdomen, however, had fared much worse. Her actions were severely impaired and the wound itself was inflamed and sensitive to touch. However, she was still made to work. She had been given a room of her own to set up her tools instead of having to work in her bedroom and it wasn't half that bad. It was kinda small and was only dimly lit, but she was used to those kinds of conditions. They were easier to work with. There was very little furniture in the room though. A wooden bench to work on, wide and long and already with scratches scarring it's surface and a desk with drawers in it and a stool to sit on. With a sigh, Natsuki went to collect her tools.

Chikakon 'helped' her to transfer all of her work stuff. 'Helping' meaning: he trotted alongside, head held high with a spanner in his mouth. They dumped it all in the small room and wasted no time in putting it away. All of the blueprints and circuit maps went in drawers with the most important ones being left on top of the desk for easy access. A few of her tools, likes spanners and allan keys, weighed them down. Her welding mask and other tools were placed 'neatly' on one side of the workbench. "Okay, all done!" Natsuki stated. She would have stretched, but that would have inflicted massive amounts of pain upon her body. She couldn't really train with her injuries and nobody seemed to need weapons repairing, so Natsuki decided to do something productive. She started making nine metal boxes out of some scrap material she had brought along with her. On each one, she carved the name of one of the members and hinged it on a metal flap over a hole. They vaguely resembled post boxes, but instead of putting letters in them, you put weapons inside. They were attached to the wall outside the door. The task took Natsuki only half the day and after that she went to the arena. Chikakon came with her and they climbed up the steps to the broken ceiling to lie out in the cool air. Even though the weather was a bit dismal and grey, the wind that drafted by was cool and made a difference to the usual stuffiness of the base. Natsuki fiddled with a bit of vine as she looked up at the vast expanse of grey cloud. Chikakon bounded around on the rocks after a rogue grasshopper and life seemed alright again. Her mind wandered to Kisame and she huffed in annoyance. Why on earth did she think of him? He was a good friend, yes, but so was Sasori and she wasn't thinking of him now was she? But then her thoughts dug up the recent memories she shared with him. The whole sleeping next to him because she felt weak and vulnerable, letting him dress her wounds with her only in her underwear. The blood found it's way to her cheeks. Why'd she let him do that? At the time, she knew it was to save her pride and dignity later, but it was still embarrassing. Before she got herself into the entire mess of being abducted, she would have dressed her own wounds no matter what. She had been more stubborn. The bottom line was, she was becoming more dependant on Kisame. She didn't quite understand why, it was true that she had never really had any friends as a child, her only friend before the abduction had been Shoji but she had never relied on him. So why now? Why did she become so... _weak_ by him? She hated it! She wasn't weak, she was strong and downright stubborn! With a sigh, she let it all go. She wanted time to herself, right? She didn't need to think about stupid things like that. Suddenly, she heard voices down below. Deidara and Sasori were facing off in the arena. "Art is a fleeting moment in time, un!"

"Don't be stupid, brat. Art is eternal and you know it." Natsuki blinked as she looked over the edge. They were having a fight over _art?_ That was... odd to say the least. She thought Akatsuki members were supposed to be at least relatively sane, but then again... Hidan was a religious weirdo who thought sacrificing people was a _gift_. Like a present, only stinkier and rotting. Imagine _that_ on your birthday. She sighed again. Well, she certainly wasn't risking losing a limb walking around that fight. She'd just have to stay on the roof for a while.

**Yay! Kisame Natsuki floofiness! Tell me if I overdid it or anything and **

**ANTIVANARAINAIHIME! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ SO ALREADY, I REUPLOADED CH3 IT SHOULD BE UP NOW!**

**I hope you got that! 3 reviews and I'll upload CH7 (this is me trying to pace myself, I just love uploading).**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank-you to _mariaxxxmadara_ and _AntivanArainaiHime_ for reviewing!  
>I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I DO own Chikako 'Natsuki' Suzuhara and Chikakon though.<br>Onwards with the story! **

Chapter Seven: Mission objective.  
>Natsuki spent the next week in the Akatsuki base repairing any weapons that the members decided to drop in their boxes. Most of the time it was just shuriken and kunai that had been bent beyond repair or were too dull to be sharpenned in time for the next mission. Hidan and Deidara, being sore losers, decided to put detonating clay in one of the boxes, Kakuzu's to be exact, but Natsuki found it before it went kaboom thankfully enough and managed to plaster it under the handles of the two nin's doors. Hearing their pained yells was amusing to say the least. During that week however, she paid special attention to how she acted around Kisame, drastically changing her behaviour to suit what she was like beforehand. Near enough anyway. She didn't talk with him as much and she was definitely more volatile when it came to her sarcasm and jokes. That was if she got in a conversation at all. Most of the time she made certain to ignore him in every way possible. But then she got called to Leader-sama's office.<p>

"I have decided..." He huffed out in an almost begrudging way, "To send you on a mission." Natsuki smirked in the darkness. He hated this so much! "_However_, if you step one foot out of line, your fox will be tortured and killed, curtesy of Hidan." Her eyes darkenned at this and she bit her tongue yet again. "Your mission is to aid the team you will be going with in accomplishing their goal. They will inform you of the criteria of your mission at the base entrance."  
>"<em>Okay...<em> Who's this mission with?" She could almost feel the smirk.  
>"You'll see."<p>

Natsuki finished strapping her katana on. She grabbed her walking stick, called Chikakon and they moved out. She first went to Sasori's room and asked him to mark the front entrance on her map, which he did cautiously. After thanking him, she walked off, following the map, to find the rendezvous point. Upon finding the entrance, she almost slapped herself. Of course. Traipsing over, she raised a hand in greeting. "Hey Itachi-san, Kisame-san."  
>"Hn."<br>"Let's get going then, slow-coach." Natsuki bristled a little.  
>"Whatever, cod-face."<p>

"So, I just jump?"

"Yes. All you have to do is jump."

"All I have to do is jump."

"Correct."

"Right."

"As we just discussed."

"..."

"..."

"Gah! I can't do it!" Itachi slapped his forehead.  
>"You said that about performing jutsu." Natsuki looked over her shoulder.<br>"Yeah, and look how long _that_ took me!" Kisame huffed, waiting on the other branch for the two to join him. "Just get it over with already."  
>"Shut-it salmon-boy!"<br>"For pete's sake." Kisame leapt over to them, "You're being carried, that's final."  
>"No way! Get off-" And she was back over Kisame's shoulder. Again. "Why the hell can't Itachi carry me?"<br>"Because you're heavy- _Ow!_" Natsuki released her grip on Kisame's hair and stuck her tongue out at him. He glared at her and she kneed him in the gut again. "Put me down." Her 'request' was met by silence. "It's not comfortable up here, put me down sushi-boy before I get my chopsticks!" Again. Silence.

Natsuki watched as the ground came closer, then further away. Closer. Further. Closer. Further. Chikakon darted along below them, keeping up with relative ease. Her head was beginning to thrum inside from all the blood rushing to it and she felt ready to puke. Complaining and threatening hadn't gotten her anywhere, so she kept quiet. Her legs had gone numb too and she could feel an onslaught of pins and needles charging down to her feet, but she didn't complain. The endless jumping gently ceased and the air tugged at her hair. The ground swooped up to meet them and her body jarred suddenly under Kisame. He stood straight and took her carefully from his shoulder. She swayed a little, staggered, then walked off muttering, "Give me a minute." Itachi watched her leave, then walked off in the opposite direction to collect firewood. Kisame grumbled at his partner's selected chore. That meant _he_ had to go and fetch _her_, whatever the hell she was doing. He stalked off through the trees, following her chakra signature until he found her.

Natsuki finished washing her mouth out, finally getting rid of the awful smell and taste of bile. She hated throwing up. It was disgusting and vile. Drying the last droplets of water from her chin, she stood and turned around. "Kisame-san!" She almost fell backwards in shock, her hand latching onto a tree branch only just stopped her fall. "What the hell? Don't sneak up on people like that!" His fingers curled around the collar of her top and he yanked her closer. "_What is wrong with you?_" He hissed. Natsuki's eyes darkenned.  
>"Get off me."<br>"No! Why the hell are you being so damned offhand?" His yell shook her to the core and she thrashed in his grip. "Get _off_ me!"  
>"<em>Why?<em>"  
>"<em>Rgh! <em>I won't become dependant on you!" Their eyes locked for a moment then he dropped her to the ground and left. She looked after him, straightening her collar. What the hell was _that_ all about?

The camp was quiet that night. Natsuki kept watch in the trees whilst Itachi and Kisame slept. After all, she hadn't done anything that day but throw up and argue. Chikakon nuzzled into her stomach, his tail curling about him. She patted his head and looked back out away from their camp. The stars were bright that night and there was a half moon about. A gust of wind tousled the tops of the trees. "It's a nice night, isn't it Chikakon?" The little fox stirred and blinked up lazily at her. She smiled. She had to protect him, that was for sure. But as long as they were with the Akatsuki, he'd be in constant danger. Her eyes flicked back to look down at the two ninjas. They were fast asleep by the fire. Her gaze drifted back to Chikakon. She had to keep him safe. As quietly as she could, she got to her feet, swaying a little on the tree branch. Chikakon pressed into her shoulder and she held him firmly. Protectively. Focusing her chakra carefully to her feet, she leapt away.

Dark figures leered out in the trees, savage grins plastered to shadowed faces. Fiendish eyes gleamed devilishly and wicked blades extended from their grasp.

The wind pushed on by lazily and calmly. Natsuki darted across it, kicking off from the branch, landing and throwing herself to the next one again. Her momentum ran wild and she didn't dare stop now. Her cane, still strapped across her back with vines, her katana, her secret dagger and Chikakon. That's all she had now. Oh, and a spanner hidden in the folds of her top. Her little fox, the one she strove to protect to her dying breathe, had fallen asleep against her shoulder. She continued on through the night, branches and leaves whipping at her. Her side and abdomen ached dully compared to her leg, but she refused to stop. Stopping now wouldn't help them. Stopping now wouldn't protect Chikakon. Her foot slipped and her breathe stuck in her throat. With a heavy thud, they crashed into the ground. Natsuki groaned and pushed herself up with one hand. She cradled Chikakon in her other arm, his shocked body was stiff from instinct. "It's alright." She whispered. Her leg felt as if it were on fire. She wouldn't be able to jump for a while now. Pain flared up in her arm and cheek were she had landed. They were scraped and bleeding. Another heavy gash was on her foot, extending to her ankle. A branch had cut her. Her head spun and her back panged from where she had knocked them on the fall down. Chikakon was okay though. She struggled to her feet and limped on with her cane.

Itachi's eyes snapped open, his head whipped up. A shocked cry escaped him unintentionally and he raised a kunai in defense as something rushed down at him. The distinct sound of metal-on-mental rang out through the forest. A brutish man with an equally malicious blade took a second swing. He was sharinganned within a second. "Kisame." He called his partner who was already on his feet. The two stood back-to-back, sharingan and kunai coupled with Samehada. "Where's that little brat?" Kisame growled out, surveying the surroundings for Natsuki. "It appears she has fled." Itachi stated, "That or-" His eyes narrowed at the gang of thugs. Kisame growled at the prospect and stepped forwards an inch. "Who cares? They still need taking out." Itachi smirked and kicked dirt over the fire. They were plunged into darkness.

"You're absolutely right."

Natsuki fell to her knees. Her breathing was left ragged and torn like her clothes and she couldn't lift herself up. Three dead bandits lay behind her, appendages strewn across the undergrowth. Their faces were burnt beyond recognition. Chikakon padded up to her, licking her scarlet arm clean. The deep gouge bled more profusely still. Natsuki tore off part of her sleeve and tied it around the wound, yanking it tighter with her teeth. Chikakon danced about nervously in front of her. "We're gonna get out of here Chikakon." She told him, determination boiling in her eyes. "I won't let them hurt you." She scooped him up and took off yet again.

Kisame charged through the trees, a trail of his enemies' blood following him. Itachi scouted on ahead, equally as irritated as him. That little swine had run away! The traitorous little- Blood. Strong and heady like... Natsuki was close by. His speed increased and they flew through the trees, everything becoming a blur as he followed that scent like a hound. They lost it a few minutes later in the midst of the massacre of three bandits. Their limbs were strewn about the scorched trees, most of their skin was charred and blackened. They sniffed about for a bit, trying to grasp a weak chakra signature. A moment later, they were off again. They followed the trail of faint chakra and intoxicating blood to a river, then across it and partway up a rocky cliffside. A dark, sticky substance clung to handholds and it was obvious that Natsuki had started to scale the wall in an attempt to escape. Fury roiled within Kisame and he hauled himself up after her. Itachi was calmer about the whole situation and followed silently. The bloody prints on the rocks suddenly ceased to exist as they pulled themselves up into some sort of cave. Natsuki looked up at them. Blood caked her clothes, but she grinned anyway. Until Kisame stormed forwards and dragged her to her feet that is. He slammed her back against the wall. "So you're trying to escape, huh?" He hissed with venom dripping from his voice. Chikakon barked. "_No._ I was chasing down those bandits!"  
>"You killed them a ways back, yet you kept going! You were trying to escape!"<br>"_Shut up!_ Use your head you stupid shark! One of the slimy swines escaped, I was hunting him down!"  
>"Prove it." Silence. Itachi stepped forwards and pulled Kisame's hand away.<br>"There is no way to prove her words, but it doesn't matter either way." He glanced at her meaningfully. "If she doesn't buck up her ideas however, her little fox is going to have his throat slit."  
>"<em>Why you-<em> What are you implying?"  
>"That next time we so much as suspect you to be trying to escape, the incident will be reported straight back to Leader-sama and after that..." He left it hanging, but Natsuki knew all too well what he meant. She looked down at Chikakon, <em>I guess no matter what I do, I'm not going to be able to protect you as well as I'd hoped.<em>

Natsuki went through a long lecture after that on alerting the two before she went dashing off through the forest 'after bandits'. She was also told that she wouldn't be going on watch ever again because she was quite despicably awful at it. They went back to sleep after that with Itachi on watch at the mouth of the cave. Natsuki stayed up to clean up her wounds a little and wrap them before curling up to sleep off the cold.

The next day, they were off again. Natsuki had forced them to veer a little off course, but not too much and they lost no time in getting back on track. Natsuki travelled on Kisame's shoulders this time, her ankles crossed over his chest and her arms wrapped comfortably around his head. The only reason she wasn't over his shoulder was because Itachi had reminded him she was injured. That and she told him she hadn't the strength to hold in her vomit this time. She smiled at the recent memory still fresh in her mind and looked up at the sky. The sun streamed down through the intervals in the canopy. Chikakon batted a paw over her view and she let out a small laugh, letting go with one hand to rub between his ears. He made a thick purring sound from on her head and pushed into her hand. Her tail twitched instinctively and she froze. Kisame felt the action and glanced up. With a roll of his eyes, he looked back where he was going.

"So this is our mission?"  
>"Hn." Itachi clarified.<br>"Kill and destroy." Kisame grinned cruelly and crouched on the branch for Natsuki to slip off. The second her feet touched the wood, he pulled out a scroll. Performing a few hand signs, Samehada poofed out of the paper. Natsuki stared as he took the weapon by the hilt and placed it back on his back. She had no idea that weapons could be hidden in scrolls. "Let's go." He grinned, smirking back at Natsuki. "All you have to do is tell us how to take out that big thing on his back." She nodded. The man walking by below didn't take any heed of them as they crouched in the leaves. A large metal instrument was strapped across his back, seeming to bear murderous tendencies from it's gun-like shape. "It's a gun of some sort it would seem, by the looks of it it's quite heavy so he'll probably use two hands to lift it depending on his strength. That means he won't be able to defend very well, it's a purely offensive weapon. _However_." She looked it over once more as their target began to disappear from view. "It probably has a lot of force behind it, capable of firing projectiles over long distances and retaining it's speed and the damage it will cause. It could probably blow a hole in a boulder. Also, it's made of good strong metal, so it can definitely take a good few blows without too much damage. Cripple the barrel however, and it'll implode on itself and your job will be done for you." The two nin nodded and stood. "Stay where you are and keep that fox of your's with you." Natsuki bit her tongue, but nodded. Kisame leapt down onto the path below and walked a few feet before stopping. Presumably taking up the rear. Itachi went on ahead. Natsuki couldn't quite see what was happening, but she heard the man yell in shock. "W- who are you?"  
>"You are Atsushi Yoshida, correct?" Came Itachi's cool, stoic voice.<br>"_Who are you?_"  
>"We'll take that as a <em>yes<em> then." She saw Kisame step forwards and she could hear his grin as he took hold of Samehada's hilt. "Y- you're-"  
>"The Akatsuki, yes. And you're valuable to Orochimaru, and for that..." He teased, bringing Samehada to his side. "We're gonna have to kill you. So sorry." Natsuki heard the gun being readied. Her fingers gripped the wood as the tension built. It fired. Kisame dodged easily enough. Yoshida shot again and again, the two shells whizzing past him on either side. Natsuki leant out of the tree to watch the battle. Kisame converged on the poor man, slamming Samehada into his gut. With one deft twist of his wrist, he had dislodged the gun from the man's grasp. As it skittered across the dirt, Samehada fell upon it's barrel, crushing it beyond recognition. The man quivered in fear, then turned to flee. Sharingan pierced his soul and a blood-curdling scream let loose.<p>

The dead body was decapitated and then burnt to nothing more than bones. Itachi held the process as solemn and even buried the man afterwards. He gave no explanation for his actions, but Kisame kindly told her that they had to make sure Orochimaru couldn't use a reanimation jutsu on him. Immediately after that, they began the long walk back.

The camp that night was quiet. It was Kisame's turn on guard duty and Itachi didn't hold much in the conversation department as usual. Natsuki sighed inwardly and flopped down, closing her eyes. The minute she heard the soft breathing of a person sleeping, she opened her eyes again. The fire had been dowsed, but she could still make out the sleeping figure of Itachi and the stooped shadow of Kisame sitting in the trees. She bit her lip indecisively. She knew Kisame was being more aggressive towards her because she was being offhand and it was therefore her own fault, but she still didn't like it. She should- _No. No, I won't bend and bow my head. I won't become dependant on him. On any of them._ She rubbed her forehead and lay on her back. _I won't... become dependant._

The air was cool and fresh, not too hot nor too cold. Just right for walking. Chikakon trotted by Natsuki's heels and she in turn walked behind her two superiors. They were steadily approaching the base. People arguing caught their attention and Kisame huffed, rubbing his forehead. Itachi seemed to sigh aswell. "Greedy fucking miser!" Natsuki felt like giving up on life already.  
>"Do you want to starve Hidan?"<br>"No! So stop being an arse and let me buy some fucking food!"  
>"Pah, when you stop worshipping that worthless religion of yours."<br>"I'll fucking disembowel you!" Natsuki blinked at the scene unravelling before them.  
>"Hidan knows a word that long?"<br>"Apparently so..." Kisame grumbled. "It doesn't matter anyway, let's just get into the base before-"  
>"Hey Fish-face!"<br>"Urgh... _What?_"  
>"You know what I'm fucking talking about, right!"<br>"Sort it out yourself Hidan!" They waded through the onslaught of curses into the base.

Itachi escaped straight away, aiming for Leader-sama's office to give a report on how it all went. Before Natsuki could lock herself up in her room though and take a shower, Kisame grabbed onto her shoulder. "Let go of me." His grip tightened.  
>"I know you don't want to become dependant on me, but not letting me help you and trying to isolate yourself isn't going to do the trick. Besides, letting people help you doesn't make you weak." He smiled, "Okay? I'm always gonna help you whether you like it or not, 'cos if you just have yourself, you'll end up doing something you'll regret."<br>"Oh yeah, like what?" He chuckled,  
>"Like trying to punch Leader-sama." Her lips twitched and she rolled her eyes.<br>"Sounds like me." A pause as she thought. "I won't become dependant on you, but... I suppose I was kinda wrong. Again."  
>"Damn straight you were!" He laughed, pushing her head.<br>"Hey! I said I was _a bit_ wrong!"  
>"No, you said <em>kinda.<em>"  
>"Same damn thing!"<br>"No it's not, for one..."

**Okay, thanks for reading! Review and leave feedback/constructive criticism if you want, it'd be much appreciated. Danke-schon!**

**Next time on Weapons Dealer: Chapter 8, _August is... Autumn?_  
><strong>**_"Is this your revenge? Make me fall on my butt?" He chuckled at her,  
><em>****_"No~" He suddenly got in her face with is cocky grin. His hand slowly reached behind her and her body froze in place, eyes a little wider. The rain seemed to pound down harder, dripping down their faces like little rivers..._**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank-you to... _A__ntivanArainaiHime_, _ForASunset'sRise_ and _Woodshrew_ for your reviews! I am very grateful, I hope everybody reading this enjoys CH8!  
><strong>**I do not own Naruto, I only own Chikako 'Natsuki' Suzuhara and Chikakon. Onwards!**

Chapter Eight: August is... Autumn?  
>August was on it's way and with it, the weather began to turn. Rain fell more often and the wind was harsher, colder. The skies remained dismal throughout the day and most of the Akatsuki members came back from missions complaining about the weather. Natsuki quite enjoyed it though. It was warm inside so it felt all the nicer after coming in from the rain and it actually felt like the organisation was that little bit friendlier so long as they hadn't just come back from outside. Then it was hell because they were all irritated and sopping wet. Natsuki liked listening to their silly arguements though, so long as she was working. It was nice background noise she found. What was better though was when they had good food in. Leader-sama had apparently ordered Kakuzu to get food more often because of all the complaints and that lightened the mood considerably. However, it meant Natsuki was roped into cooking half the time. <em>Sure<em>, other members did the cooking sometimes, but it was mainly her. Because she was of the female species and the underling, that gave them the excuse to make her do 'womanly' chores, like cook for example. And clean up the dishes. She could almost kill them at those times. She sighed and sprawled across her workbench, batting kunai and shuriken aside. She was tired...

Somebody knocked on her door, the sound waking Natsuki not all too nicely. "Hm? What?" She asked blearily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Sasori popped his head around the door and Chikakon bounded over to say hello. "They all want you to make dinner now." He informed with a half-sympathetic shrug. He was gone before her head hit the bench. "_Great..._"

"Hey bitch, make us some fucking food already!" Hidan yelled from in the lounge. She glowered at him, but let it go. Getting in a fight wouldn't get her out of making dinner. She looked in the fridge. _No. Nope. Nah. What the- Oh. That's a no then... No. No. _Definitely_ not. Is that-_ "Zetsu! Get your own damn fridge would you! There's a rotting head in here on the middle shelf, I mean seriously! If you're gonna insist on keeping dead bodies in here, then at least wrap them up properly and put them on the bottom shelf before you give everybody e-coli!"  
>"People very rarely carry e-coli in their systems without getting ill." Itachi deadpanned as he walked past.<br>"People very _rarely_ help me cook, but it's not impossible."  
>"The two are not related in any meaningful way."<br>"They are when there's a head in the fridge with the rest of the food!" He shrugged it off and sat at the table with a book. Natsuki muttered under her breathe as she continued to scour the fridge for something to cook. She settled with beef donburi in the end.

"Hey! Lazy-butts, get in here, it's ready!" Natsuki yelled through the base, dropping the bowls of food down in their places. It was quiet for a moment, then- "Get the fuck out of my way whores!" Hidan came.  
>"Hey, un! I want to eat too, yeah!"<br>"Not before me fucker!"  
>"Art is a-"<br>"**Everybody shut up before I eat you.**" Zetsu loomed above everybody, "That wasn't very nice...** Shut up.**" Natsuki flopped onto her chair with a sigh. Any moment now they would sit down in an as-close-to-civilised-as-criminals-can-get way and then they'd have one or two mouthfuls in peace before... chaos. Utter, destructive chaos. As it turned out, Leader-sama got to sit down first, after Natsuki was glared into begrudgingly standing back up, then she and Konan sat. The only other female member sat to the right of Pein, who sat at the head of the table. Zetsu didn't deign to eat with them due to his cannibalistic tendencies and Sasori was locked away in his room or somewhere equally quiet, probably enjoying the company of Chikakon. Hidan and Deidara barged into the table at the same time, bickering and cursing and un-ing. Natsuki steadied it and grabbed hold of a few of the wobbling bowls. "Calm down for God's sake, you each have your own damn bowl!" They converged on her, complaining rambunctiously about status etc. etc. They sat down eventually. Kakuzu took the end seat, opposite from Deidara who was still arguing blatantly with Hidan next to him. Itachi sat between the seat to the left of Leader-sama and aforementioned Jashinist and Kisame placed himself between Natsuki and Kakuzu. As predicted, the table broke into chaos and destruction before too long.

Deidara started it first. Or maybe it was Hidan with his big mouth. Anyway, there was a small explosion, most likely provoked by a large amount of swearing and other such insultive words and food went everywhere. This angered Kakuzu to no end because he'd have to expend money on buying new bowls (because they didn't have any more) and more food, the result of which was Hidan's head being taken off and Deidara becoming a strangled, presumed dead, object on the floor. And that was the end of dinner.

"What a waste." Natsuki sighed, stretching out her arms before plunging them back into the hot soapy water. Her tail swished about happily at the bubbles, the tip poking out teasingly for Chikakon to chase. A few of the meals had been salvaged and those who had saved them ate. Needless to say, Hidan and Deidara went hungry. "Hey guess what Chikakon?" He looked up from batting at her tail. "It raining outside!" He made an excited squeak and leapt onto the counter. "Shall we go and greet it once I've finished up here?" He bounded about joyously and almost crashed into the sink. "Okay then!" She grinned and got in his face. "You go find my rice hat and happi and I'll be right there in a moment!" His claws skittered across the counter and then he was off down the corridors like a bullet. Natsuki held back a giggle of amusement and quickly scrubbed the last bowl. She dried her hands off and ran after Chikakon. "Hey! Get my cane too!"

Natsuki poked her head around the corner. She checked the corridor twice, pulled up her rice hat as if she were some secret agent and then dashed across to the next corner, repeating the process. Chikakon followed at her heels. She pressed her back against the next wall, checked her map, then knocked urgently on the door, feeling more like a spy with each growing second. Kisame opened the door lazily. His head turned to look at her and he gave her a strange look. "What are you doing?"  
>"Shhh!" She pressed a finger to her lips and then grinned cheekily. "Come with us." Before he could protest, she had his hands in her grasp and was pulling him from his room. "Wait, where are we-" A finger touched his lips. "Sh." She turned around cautiously and checked this way and that. "Coast's clear." They were off, Chikakon leading the way with Natsuki gliding behind him, dragging a purpley Kisame after her. She flashed him a mischievous look and gripped her walking stick harder. "You sure you aren't falling for me?" It took him a few flustered moments to realise that she was talking about when they had gone to collect her clothes and necessities from her house. "N- no way girl." She smirked and swished her tail.<br>"Then you have no excuse for being so slow!" She laughed, lunging forwards. "I hope you like the rain!"

Rain pounded down, soaking the dirt to mud as the trio walked out into the arena. The musical sound of each individual droplet hitting the stone steps and the ground or other puddles created a fantastically harmonious melody, combined and finished with a flourish by the faint sound of the leaves of the vines being hit and of the creaking of the grasshoppers. Natsuki's tail raised and wagged about like a giddy dog's and she twirled in a circle in the mud, "Isn't it great!" She cried. Her hands clasped around his again and she grinned up at him, "Come on!" Chikakon pranced between their feet, taking the lead up the arena to the roof. The run was long and Natsuki's leg started up a soft thrum of pain, but clambering up the ladder of vines and ivy to the great rocky domed roof was exhilarating. She helped haul Kisame up (because he was nervous about the vines snapping under his weight), and they gazed out across the forest way down below. Kisame chuckled silently at her, her tail was whipping about uncontrollably and she was rocking back and forth on her heels. The rain bounced off her rice hat harmlessly and, in a flash of playfulness, he pinched it from her head. "Hey!" She swung round and leapt up for her hat. He raised it high above his head teasingly. "No fair! You're way taller than me." He laughed back.  
>"Then you'll have to use your head then won't you?" She took the phrasing literally and headbutted him in the stomach. Chikakon headbutted his ankles too, making him stumble. Natsuki leapt up and, latching her toes into what felt like a cloth belt or obi beneath his cloak, wrapping an arm around his to constrict his movement, she took the hat back and placed it on her head. She tickled his face with her tail for a joke before jumping down. "Take that sharky!" He smirked and pushed back his soaked hair, "Nah, I'd rather get revenge."<br>"Wait-" She darted off in the opposite direction, screaming and laughing. Kisame set off after her.

His hand gripped her waist from the back as he finally caught up with her. Natsuki turned in shock and slipped in the mud, falling on her butt. Chikakon chased a grasshopper behind them and Kisame laughed. He crouched in front of her with a smirk. "Is this your revenge? Make me fall on my butt?" He chuckled at her,  
>"No~" He suddenly got in her face with is cocky grin. His hand slowly reached behind her and her body froze in place, eyes a little wider. The rain seemed to pound down harder, dripping down their faces like little rivers. A little orange blur was seen and- " Ow!" Kisame recoiled, clutching his nose. Chikakon sat on his master's lap with a satisfied look in his eye. Natsuki broke from her trance with a bout of laughter, falling on her back and kicking her legs in the air like a child. Something twinged. Like an instance of light flitting by in utter darkness. Natsuki stopped laughing immediately, hand clamping over her thigh. "Ah, sorry, I have to go." Kisame looked up as she abruptly stood, gathering her rice hat and cane before leaving. "Wait-" He began, but his voice died down as she disappeared down the vines. "Did I do something wrong?"<p>

Natsuki limped down the hallways stiffly, dripping rain everywhere along with mud from her happi. She stripped it off halfway to her room. Chikakon looked up at her worriedly. Her face was still and hard, like a mask. Her eyes held nothing but steadfast determination, like a strength. Some kind of power. Her lips, pale and thin, pressed into a hard line. Anybody else would think she was just having a bad day, that someone had irked her off, but Chikakon knew better. That was her look, the mask she wore if she was wary of being seen when her leg was like this. It was worse than usual. She was in pain.

The door swung open, cracking against the wall in her haste to get in. It crashed shut behind them and Natsuki fell against the extra support. Her features contorted into those of pain and suffering and her fingers dug into the skin of her thigh. "_Haah..._" Her pained breathe shook. The happi fell in a heap to the floor. "_Dammit all_." She slid gradually to the floor. Her eyes slid shut for a moment. _Dammit, what the hell? Why is this happening? What happened up there?_ Her hand flashed out to slap the cold ground before she tore into the flesh. _What was he gonna do?_ She asked herself, trying to distract from the pain. _What was he going to do to me? What was going to be his revenge?_ Her eyes travelled to Chikakon. _What would have happened if Chikakon hadn't bit his nose?_

Chikakon watched as Natsuki eventually shut her eyes. Her breathing slowed down and calmed. Everything was alright now. He pulled over a blanket and dragged it over her haphazardly. Curling up on her good leg, he propped his head on his paws and huffed in his fox voice. Stupid sushi roll, he thought he could get away with trying to dirty _his_ master with a ball of mud and leaves? Next time, he'd bite more than just his nose. His ears would be hanging from strands of tissue and cartilage if he wasn't careful.

"_ATCHOO!_"  
>"Fuck you!"<br>"Is that your version of 'bless you', Hidan?" Natsuki bit spitefully. The Jashinist sneered back at her crude joke. "Fucking whore should just keep quiet..." He grumbled.  
>"Well I <em>would<em>, but _somebody_ just can't afford vitamin C tablets."  
>"Yeah well you shouldn't have been out in the fucking rain in the first place, should you bitch?" An intense glare targetted him. Natsuki would have bonked him over the head already, but her leg still throbbed and it was a waste of energy getting up off of the sofa to whack him anyway. She huffed and let her head fall back onto the arm of the sofa. "Whatever you foul-mouthed imbecile." Hidan glared over at her. His teeth grit together and he shot up, stalking over and looming above her field of vision. "What the fuck is up with you, bitch? Why aren't you fighting back? Where the fuck is your attitude? Your <em>spunk?<em>" He spat. Natsuki glowered at him, but didn't respond in like. She simply sighed and hauled herself up, supporting herself with her cane. "Unlike you Hidan, I don't survive off conflict."

Natsuki's hands scrubbed down the plate, softly dragging the sponge in deep circles over it's surface. She looked up and sighed. It was night time again. Another day spent in the Akatsuki. She realised that her moods kept swaying, she kept changing her mind. She wanted to go back, to get out of the danger zone and yet, at the same time she didn't realise she was in danger. She felt quite at home with these criminals. After all, life was just life whatever she did with it. Like it made a difference. She looked back down at her hands. Suds surrounded them. Water drowned them as she plunged them down under. She pulled them out and placed the plate on the drying rack, taking up a dirty one. Soft footsteps approached from behind. She didn't look to see who it was. "Natsuki."  
>"Kisame-san."<br>"Did I do something wrong yesterday?" Her hands stopped scrubbing for a moment before she replied.  
>"No." He took up a place beside her, drying the clean dishes slowly.<br>"Then why did you run off?" Her hand naturally fell upon her thigh. He dipped his head knowingly. They stood in silence for a minute. "What were you going to do?"  
>"Hm?"<br>"Yesterday. What were you going to do?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips.  
>"Nothing much." Their hands brushed as he went to take a plate from her. Energy sparked through their skin and Natsuki pulled away, blushing. "Ah. I see."<br>"Why? What did you think I was going to do?" He looked away, a faint lilac tinting his cheeks.  
>"Nothing much." She managed to mumble. She pulled the plug out and the water and suds all drained away. They put the dishes away quietly and then walked side-by-side out of the kitchen, Natsuki's limp prominent.<p>

They stopped outside of Natsuki's door and she looked up at him. "Tell me. What were you going to do? What was going to be your revenge?" He cocked his head and smirked.  
>"I was gonna throw mud in your hair." A small smile quirked at her lips.<br>"Of course. Goodnight Kisame."  
>"Goodnight, Natsuki..."<p>

**In some ways, Natsuki reminds me of Holo/Horo from Spice and Wolf. It was completely unintentional, but sometimes when I write down one of her lines, it sounds just like something Holo would say.  
>On a side note, the title for this chapter doesn't make much sense, but I've always thought that Autumn starts in August, but that's just my own little fantasy, no need to comment on it. The title for CH9 also makes little sense because I strayed from the plot a little.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Next time in Weapons Dealer: <em>Chapter Nine, Our beauty is unrecognised.<em>**

**_"_That snake Orochimaru set us up! _Those spies he had trained on us a while back-_ It was a decoy! The sly-** _**Five ninja are heading this way now. They'll be here any minute and they're extremely strong."**_

_**"So you would have just sat here bleeding until I came?" ...**_


	9. Chapter 9

**A huge thanks to _AntivanArainaiHime_, _ForASunset'sRise_ and _Woodshrew_ for reviewing, and I just got a big surprise when I opened my e-mail and found something like 47 e-mails coming from favourites and alerts, so THANK-YOU! I can't list you all though, it'd take forever :)  
><strong>**I do not own Naruto!  
><strong>**Let the story commence!**

Chapter Nine: Our beauty is unrecognised.  
>The birds sang through the leaves, announcing the arrival of a hazy pink fog on the horizon. A rare sunrise with all the beauty of an unseen plum blossom falling to the floor as silent as a camellia. Dew hung from the grass like cool crystal droplets. Everything was quiet as the birds sung their sonata.<p>

_Tmp._

The silence broke.

_Tmp._

Feet kicked off from a tree branch. Birds scattered. Their sonata shattered. A team of five ninja zipped through the trees. Sound headbands adorned their foreheads. Determined eyes focused ahead with the look of an important mission.

"We'll get 'em this time boys."

Six shadowed figures stood before Leader-sama with a seventh stationed by his left shoulder. His fingers were steepled like a cathedral spire. Rinnegan eyes passed over them abasedly. "The nine tails jinchuriki." He paused for one long moment. "Itachi. What is you verdict?" The Uchiha stepped forwards.  
>"The bijuu is sealed inside a boy going by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. He is rambunctious, boisterous and exceedingly loyal. Though he acts the fool he is a foe to be wary of. Our information so far has concluded that he does not possess full control of the bijuu inside him." He stepped back next to Kisame and Leader-sama dipped his head slightly. His brows furrowed a little. "Very good Itachi, as from now, I will be setting a new plan in play to aid our goal, we-"<br>"_Leader-sama!_" A clasped venus fly-trap threw rubble across the ruptured floor. It opened and Zetsu stood half in and half out of the ground, panting. "**That snake Orochimaru set us up!** Those spies he had trained on us a while back-** It was a decoy! The sly-** Five ninja are heading this way now. They'll be here any minute and they're extremely strong." Leader-sama's glare intensified and he glowered through the arch of his steepled fingers. The members awaited his orders. "What the fuck are you waiting for? Send us out already you old coot!"  
>"Hidan!" He roared. "Be quiet this instant! Now I want you and Kakuzu to go out with Kisame and Itachi to intercept the attack. <em>Try <em>and take them out quickly and don't argue whatever you do. This isn't the time for such trivial matters. Deidara, I want you keeping an eye out from above. Keep in contact with Zetsu. Zetsu, survey the area for traps and gather more intel, report it back to Itachi, Kisame, Kakuzu and Hidan. Go!" The six nin disappeared in a flash. Leader-sama's eyes fell upon Sasori. "Sasori, you will take Natsuki and hide her somewhere. Tie that fox of her's up if necessary and then station yourself inside at the main entrance. Konan and I will take care of anybody who manages to get past the rest of you."  
>"Hai Leader-sama."<p>

Natsuki listened to the clashing of weapons down below. Each time she heard it, her muscles tensed. She clung on to Chikakon, laying flat on her stomach so as not to be seen on the roof above the arena. A scream pierced the air, distinctly feminine. Her heart beat stumbled between slowing and pounding. But then a deeper, stronger voice cried out in pain and it leapt into another frenzy. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes at the memories such sounds brought up. She shook all over and buried her head in Chikakon's fur. He was quaking too and both of their tails were bristled in fear. Sasori had told them to hide somewhere remote, where nobody would look and wait until he came to get her. _Sasori-san, please be alright!_ She didn't understand what was happening, who was in danger and who wasn't. She didn't want to lose _any _of them, not even Hidan and Deidara. She peeked up into the sky. She could just see the blonde's bird swooping through the air. A surge of chakra pulsed through the air suddenly. Natsuki froze stiff. The tip of her tail twitched. That was... She squeezed her eyes shut and wished for it all to end as the tears spilled over her cheeks.

One down, four to go. Deidara watched the battle from above. Kakuzu and Hidan had managed to work together for once and used their combo attack to take out who appeared to be the leader, a female with a tough attitude and a dangerous aim coupled with superb chakra control and genjutsu techniques. Kakuzu had his suture monsters out with their masks grinning at their other opponent. This man's face was half-charred and he was a devil to catch it seemed. Hidan couldn't quite catch him and was becoming increasingly frustrated by this fact. Frustrated being an understatement. Deidara's eyes scanned over the ashen trees to Kisame. The shark man was holding his own against a single opponent, being able to overpower him most of the time. He had recently released a shockwave of some sort of lightning-style jutsu which caught him off guard. Deidara had reported this to Zetsu who had informed the rest. Luckily, nobody had gotten to the base entrance yet. He cast a glance over his shoulder, hair whipping at his face. He could just spot Natsuki on the roof of the arena. Ch. Coward. Suddenly though, flames burst up beneath Deidara and he yelled, diving out of the raging fireball's path just in time. _Damn Uchiha bastard._ A small figure darted past beneath him and he squinted a little. What was that...? Realisation kicked him up the backside instantly. He yanked out the slab of bark Zetsu had handed him and shook it frantically. "Hey fly-trap! Fly-trap! There's somebody running at the main entrance!" He looked down, wondering if the plant man had heard him. He should intercept- A fly-trap swallowed the man up along with the ground beneath his feet. Deidara smirked. _Din-dins mister fly-trap._

Itachi ducked and twisted to the side as a kusarigama whizzed past his head. His sharingan twisted lazily. Too bad they wouldn't work on this blind man. His hearing was excruciatingly acute, which proved a difficulty. However, his mind worked quickly, that meant that loud noises or a lot of noises all at once would distract him. Maybe even just enough to land a fatal blow. He pulled an explosive tag attached to a kunai from his holster. The sound of his cloak rustling made the blind's head turn. The weapon flew through the air, easily dodged by the man. Itachi launched himself forwards, a second kunai at hand already. They clashed as the tag hissed away, sparks chewing at the paper.

And then it exploded.

Heat and fire seared the clearing and the surrounding trees of anything other than black. Itachi watched from afar at where his clone had been. The blind man limped out of the woods, charred up his left side. Itachi kicked out his foot, it slammed into a branch, dislodging a makeshift mechanism. Shuriken flew in a ring towards the enemy, surrounding him. His only escape route was to leap into the air, and that he did, the chain of his kusarigama arching over him. Itachi hurled a kunai at a single link in the chain. The man landed, his weapon was pinned to the ground. Another explosion.

Tags detonated all around, explosions ringing clear through the air. Itachi couldn't help but smirk as he leapt further back. That man. He was an idiot. Truly an idiot. When they clashed after he had thrown the explosive tag with the kunai, that was his cue to create a number of extra clones. He wouldn't hear them over the clamor of their weapons. They pasted explosive tags encircling the clearing whilst the real him, up in the safety of the trees, created a mechanism out of string and wire and tree branches. The clones set it up, shuriken attached. When the first tag exploded, the others weren't affected. His clones were taken out, but the man was injured, which was all well and good. He didn't expect Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy, to still be alive. He thought he'd beaten him. Itachi snorted at his foolishness. That's when he sprung his trap. The shuriken to distract him as the explosive tags simmered away, to force him into a corner, the kunai to pin him down. The explosions to sound his death. Itachi walked away slowly. The man's chakra signature was obliterated. He knew that everybody else would be finishing up now. He would... check on Natsuki. Yes. Before reporting back to Leader-sama? He had Zetsu for that. If he wanted Itachi's personal report, then he would summon him.

Natsuki leapt up at the sound of footsteps, katana drawn and tail raised in preparation for attack. Itachi raised a brow and she sheathed it. Her tail lowered slowly and Chikakon sat by her feet. "You've been crying." He stated matter-of-factly. Her brows pinched together and lips pressed in a thin line. "No I haven't." His onyx eyes sharpened by a hint. "Natsuki-san." Natsuki tipped to the side a bit, looking around Itachi. Sasori nodded to her. "Its over now, you can come back down."  
>"<em>Finally<em>." She rolled her eyes jokingly and the redhead made his way back down the vines. Itachi cocked his head to the side. "You were crying."  
>"Was not!" Natsuki yelled to a poof of smoke. <em>Stupid ninja...<em>

Her brow furrowed a little at the blotches of blood on the floor of the halls. Chikakon sniffed at it. He shuffled his paws a little, sniffed again, then darted off down the corridor. _Chikakon! You'd better hope Hidan doesn't see you running about all over the place!_ She set off after him.

They stopped in front of a plain wooden door, no scratches, but a few dents and chips in the wood here and there. Natsuki pressed her ear to it. Someone grunted on the other side. It was a deep voice. Strong and sure. Her fingers curled around the doorknob and slowly twisted it. Darkness met her gaze and she listened. Silence. Then something moved and there was the sound of fabric rustling. Somebody breathed. Natsuki took a step in and sniffed the air a little. She could feel her tail twitching. A tingling feel ran down it. She let the door fall shut and crept further in. She stumbled a little over her own feet, but kept her ears trained on the sound of breathing. There was another grunt and she stopped, turned and searched the inky shadows for the source of the sound. Black pupils suddenly appeared, rimmed in white. "Kisame-san?" She saw his teeth as he pulled a cocky grin. "Natsuki-san, be a good girl and leave."  
>"Good girl?" Natsuki had the urge to kick him in the face. That's when he grunted. She reined in her violent urges and narrowed her eyes. Why was he making silly sounds? She crouched down in front of him, then her nose picked up the scent. Heavy with a heady tone to it, smelling vaguely of sea salt, but more of iron and rust. Blood. She could feel the hairs on her tail begin to bristle. Standing, she fumbled about for a light and finally managed to flick on a lamp. Kisame looked at her seriously. Her eyes traversed his body until they came upon the source of his discomfort. A gash slicing across his bicep, oozing thick rivulets of blood down the blue skin. "You're an idiot." She stated blandly. His eyes darkenned a little at the insult, but he managed a smirk, forced as it was. With a roll of her eyes, she fetched his first-aid kit and knelt back down in front of him. She was silent as she cleaned and dressed the wound. "You could have done this yourself you know." She told him with a hint of irritation. "Hm. I suppose so, but then I wouldn't be depending on you, and I'm trying to show that it's okay to get people's help." She gave him a dark look, then returned to her bandaging. "So you would have just sat here bleeding until I came?"<br>"No. I was going to sort it out in a couple more minutes if you didn't come."  
>"You make me sound like a flipping <em>nurse<em>." She spat. He chuckled and shrugged. Pain lanced through his arm and he grimaced, strangling a groan in his throat. She gave him a look that just screamed his idiocy, but quickly finished up. "Alright, don't move it and the like, you know the drill." She huffed, partially-jokingly as she went to put the medical kit away. Kisame slowly rolled his shoulders before letting out a relaxed sigh and leaning his back against the wall. Natsuki gave his dozing figure a questioning look, but pulled his duvet over him anyway and left swiftly.

Natsuki walked down the corridor, her limp finding it's way back into her gait. She and Chikakon made a quick stop off at her room to collect her cane and then they proceeded to the kitchen to gather some food, rice and donburi for Natsuki, fish for Chikakon. Just to spite Kisame. They backtracked all the way back to her work room and Natsuki set to work sharpenning and straightening weapons, fixing dents and checking angles. She knew that it was a job well below her talents, but that was just an excuse for Leader-sama to keep her here. He really wanted her for her 'talents' whatever they were. So far though, she wasn't on the radar. A blessing she was sure. However, she understood that she was of some use in her current occupation. She could repair a bent or nicked blade in an hour tops, whilst others would spend a reasonable amount of time more fixing the problem. And that was with big blades and the giant kind of shuriken. Smaller things like kunai and senbon, or just a quick sharpenning she could do in a matter of minutes. She was efficient and it meant that the other Akatsuki members didn't have to waste their time with such trivial matters when they could be doing something handy elsewhere. Her tail swished methodically with her work and Chikakon pounced on it to keep himself occupied. Natsuki thought back to the battle earlier that day. She thought she had escaped those horrors from years ago, but she was wrong it would seem. They still lurked there. _Brilliant. That's just what I need right now._ Her tail stopped swishing and Chikakon pounced.

"_OW!"_

**Next time in Weapons Dealer:_Chapter Ten - Resume, unpause!  
><em>**_**"Itachi, you'd better swear you won't tell Leader-sama!" She cried, clutching to his collar violently. Her canines bared, "Swear you won't tell!"**_

_**"You think you can get away with hurting my fox?" She hissed, "And stealing my clothes to top it all off." He choked, but she only squeezed harder. "Now I'm going to strangle you until you lose consciousness, and don't for a second think about faking you mongrel, because I assure you**_**I can**** tell**_**."**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Resume, unpause!  
>"Ow!" Natsuki clutched her head lightly. Itachi looked down at her disapprovingly.<br>"Maybe you'll start turning up to training now?" She growled at him and rubbed the sore spot left by his hand.  
>"I was finding Chikakon!" He cocked a brow. "And then I was severely injured!"<br>"That wouldn't stop a ninja."  
>"Good thing I'm not a ninja then, isn't it- <em>ow!<em>"  
>"Let us continue with your training." Itachi lifted his hand from the top of her head and she growled at him again. "We should start by practicing and enhancing your current jutsu..."<p>

Itachi had her run through the hand signs until she no longer fumbled with her fingers and had a relatively good speed going for her. Then they went on to target practice, utilising their Great Fireball Jutsu to try and destroy select boulders whilst missing others. Let's just say that that one took a while. By the end though, Natsuki was proudly spitting out fire with ease, even if her fireball wasn't as big or as ferocious as Itachi's. Next, much to Natsuki's displeasure at continuing, they moved on to hand-to-hand combat. Natsuki made him swear not to use his Sharingan, to which she received an unspecifying 'hn' before he leapt at her.

She jumped back, not expecting him to attack so suddenly. Rubble flew up beneath his fist. Wind whistled and she turned just in time to see a second Itachi swinging a kick at her head. Her arms flew up to guard and she flew further into the air. She flipped, landed on her hands and flipped again onto her feet. There was no time to rest and think up a strategy. The second her feet touched the ground, a pair of hands shot out of the rock and gripped her ankles. Her head snapped up at the sound of flapping cloaks. Three clones, all flying at her. One hand grabbed the foot of the first Uchiha, flinging it into the second as her free hand slammed into the third clone's gut. Three poofs sounded and she immediately began her squirming, trying to escape the iron grip encasing her ankles. Fleeting footsteps snagged her attention. She ducked just in time. Her hands pounded into another Uchiha's legs, flipping them over her head. There was another poof. Her fist collided with one of the hands restricting her. It only tightened. Growling, she bit down hard on his pale fingers until she felt sour blood in her mouth and the hold disappear. Fingers suddenly brushed her scalp, running through her hair. A palm fell in place after them. Force.

Grit and dust scraped against her face as her head was ground into the floor. _Sneaky Uchiha!_ Was Natsuki's only thought as she kicked up with her legs, feeling them impact on flesh and bone. Then suddenly- _Poof!_ A growl tore from her throat at being unable to find the real Itachi. She stood. Her eyes flew wider. Her hand flew in front of her face, latching onto the fist thrown at her. Her other hand intercepted a jab to the gut and they stood there, locked in a fearsome embrace. Natsuki's eyes narrowed in sadistic pleasure. This was the real Itachi, she could tell. It was the way his black orbs seemed to want to turn as if they were Sharingan, how he was more stoic with an underlying layer of pleased arrogance as if he were enjoying their spar. Not a battle, not violent like that, just a harmless little sparring match. Natsuki shot out her foot and embedded it in his gut, taking advantage of his moment of weakness. He crippled a little, but didn't let go until- Natsuki felt her foot being swept from underneath her. Her head cracked against the ground painfully and she cried out involuntarily, clutching at her skull. Her tail swished sourly and she curled up in a tight ball as fireworks of pain exploded about the base of her head, zinging outwards across her scalp.

A hand touched her shoulder.

Her back was leant against an arena wall gently. Tender fingers loosened her grasp on her head and she cracked her eyes open, still wincing at the bouts of pain spiderwebbing across her skull. Itachi inspected her wound with a soft touch, his breath ruffling her hair. He pulled back. "You're fine, just a bruise." She nodded gingerly in thanks and they sat there for a little while, staring up at the birds circling high above. Natsuki was just closing her eyes when- "You have a tail."

The world shattered.

He knew.

Leader-sama would know.

"H-how?" She managed to croak out.  
>"When you curled up. You didn't control it very well." Natsuki felt like whacking him backside the head.<br>"Don't you dare tell Leader-sama." She hissed. He looked at her blankly.  
>"Why not?"<br>"You know perfectly well why." She ground out at his cool demeanor. "You said it yourself, Leader-sama wants something to do with my '_talents_', whatever they are, and _this_," She swished her tail agitatedly, "Is most definitely a part it!"  
>"How did you get your tail?"<br>_He completely ignored me!  
><em>"I will keep your secret if you tell me how this came about." He bargained. That, she would agree on.  
>"I went out after Chikakon, he was in danger..."<p>

"_Chikakon! Chikakon!" My feet pounded against the rough ground. The images kept flashing across my eyes. I tripped and stumbled. I could hardly see past them, the blood they showed. The doom the perceived. I didn't know where he was, but... I was running. I was running to him, I knew I was. I wouldn't let..._ that_ happen to him. I wouldn't let him suffer the same fate as Tessou-sama and... No! I wouldn't let him slip through my fingers so easily. Nobody would take him from me! I burst through a clump of fallen branches. Growls, ripping and tearing through the air surrounded me. They were competing with me, the predators. Overtaking me. _No!_ I forced myself to move faster. But my legs lagged, they weren't moving fast enough. I had to reach him before they did! _

_There he was! That orange furball. _My_ orange furball. My stupid, idiotic ball of orange fluff. Paws pounded towards him, I threw myself over his hackled figure. Wolves. Great beasts with silvery fur bristling and raised, throaty growls. They padded closer, encircling us. Surrounded just like that. How they must have laughed, their lips curled back in feral snarls. They were cackling between themselves, why wouldn't they be? Two easy snacks, quaking ad shivering with nowhere to run? So weak. So desperate to live. They pounced. All at once. I felt the fear burst from my stomach in one easy flip, hurling itself up to my throat. Chikakon, my little orange furball, stupid but mine all the same. He shook beneath me. He looked to _me_ to protect him. The fire inside me grew. It grew and pulsated-_

"It felt like chakra." Natsuki murmured. "But it wasn't _my_ chakra. It was so much stronger and far wilder than my own. It burned my insides, but I didn't realise that at the time. It took me a while to realise it, but it was the same burning feeling I got when I was in the middle of fighting Sasori." She reached up and rubbed her forehead as if the memory gave her a headache. "Before I knew it, I was surrounded by wolf corpses and there was a burning in my spine." Her eyes caught Itachi's for a brief moment. "I think the chakra made my tail form. Itachi, you'd better swear you won't tell Leader-sama!" She cried, clutching to his collar violently. Her canines bared, "Swear you won't tell!" Itachi stared at her blandly. Calmly, he removed her fisted hands from his cloak and she sat down. "I told you that I would keep your secret if your told me how it happened, did I not?" Natsuki grumbled at his chiding tone and looked away with an irritated pout. Itachi smirked at her antics. They reminded him of Sasuke as a small child. "You were crying the other day." He said. Natsuki shot him a sharp look. "No I wasn't." Why was he talking so much? Couldn't he shut up and be the stoic weasel he was? "Why were you crying?" She could almost _see_ the smirk in his eyes. He was so enjoying this!  
>"Was not!"<br>"I just want to know."  
>"For the great Uchiha prodigy, I would have thought you'd be able to figure out that I was. not. crying!"<br>"Tsk. What's going on here, a lover's spat perhaps?" Natsuki's head swirled around. Kisame cocked his head at her frown and smirked. "Leave me alone." She muttered, standing and marching past him. She couldn't help her eyes lingering on his arm though, just for a tiny second, before she had passed and gone.

Chikakon bounded up to Natsuki as she stormed down the corridors. His tail wagged happily and she eyes him suspiciously. "You suddenly turned into a dog or something?" He looked up at her adoringly and she sighed, crouching down to look him in the eye. Her tail automatically stuck out to balance herself. She sighed. Chikakon licked her on the nose and she smiled appreciatively. "You had better be staying out of trouble mister." She tapped him back. "Come on then, I know your dying to." His little eyes lit up and in one smooth leap, he was sat proudly on her head. With a laugh, he was taken high into the air as Natsuki stood and began walking to her room for a shower. Just as she was about to cross over to the other side of the hall to get to her door- "_Outta my way you dirty whores!_" Natsuki flung herself against the wall as a half-naked (as per usual) Hidan shot past. Kakuzu soon followed, marching after the silver streak like a man on a mission. "Down the hall and to the left." Natsuki informed politely. She'd rather be on Hidan's bad side than Kakuzu's. "You little bitch!" Hidan's far-off voice yelled.  
>"You dumb heathen!" Chikakon barked for finality and they safely crossed across the corridor to their room.<p>

Chikakon sat on Natsuki's bed patiently as he waited for her to finish her shower. His tail fell from one side to the other like a ticking grandfather clock. He was humongously satisfied with himself. He got a free ride on his master's head _with_ permission. That and he'd stolen another one of Kisame's fish. He heard the shower turn off and the water stop running. Just at that moment, the bedroom door creaked open. Chikakon barked sharply and stood, hackles raised. Within a flash, he was thrown into the wall and left to groggily stare as the scene began to unfold. One of those people in the black cloaks with red clouds was scurrying about the room. It wasn't the tall blue-skinned one, or the puppet... Who was it? Chikakon could hear Natsuki's feet hurrying about the bathroom. The door flew open, "Chikakon!"

"Chikakon!" Natsuki cried, her eyes instantly snagging on his concussed form.  
>"Crap!" Her head snapped around.<br>"_Deidara..._" The blonde bomber grinned nervously, removing himself from her drawers. He shot out of the room like a rocket before she could wrangle his neck. "Deidara, get back here!" She dashed after him, realising that she was only in a towel. Unfortunately for her, his little 'stunt' was to steal all her flipping clothes. What utter brilliance. She bet Hidan was playing some part in this too. Those two just had it in for her.

So Natsuki ran through the Akatsuki base in nothing but a towel with her hair dripping wet down her back and her tail wrapped feverishly around her stomach under her towel. Needless to say, she got quite the few odd stares as she went gallivanting past. She couldn't care less though. Her sights were set solely on grabbing Deidara by the neck and wringing it so hard he'd die. Or at least pass out because she didn't want to get punished again. In the back of her mind, she was irked off by the fact that she was _actually_ being trained like a damn dog. Deidara was the dog! Him and Hidan, always thinking it was funny to pull pranks on her! Sore losers the lot of them! The terrorist bomber skidded into the kitchen, stopping in front of the hob. "Oh no you don't!" Natsuki crashed into him, her tail almost losing it's grip. She caught him in a headlock, dragging him back from the hob before he could set her clothes alight. "Don't you dare blondie!" He squirmed in her grip but no way in hell would she be letting go anytime soon. Chikakon flashed through her mind and her arm tightened it's grip. "You think you can get away with hurting my fox?" She hissed, "And stealing my clothes to top it all off." He choked, but she only squeezed harder. "Now I'm going to strangle you until you lose consciousness, and don't for a second think about faking you mongrel, because I assure you _I __**can**__ tell_." The last part she whispered in his ear as he clawed at her arm fruitlessly.

"I don't recommend that." Came a voice from behind. Natsuki swivelled on her heel, hand whirling out to hit the person's face. Her hand scraped their chest and she looked up. She glowered a little at Kisame and he removed her hand from his cloak. "Why the hell not?" She muttered, all too aware of the fact that she was dripping wet and only in a towel. He smirked and pulled the half-dead Deidara out of her grip. She was not all too pleased with this and made to kick his shin when her clothes were tossed in her face. "There you go, go help your fox." Natsuki frowned a bit as the shark man left with her prey.  
>"Stupid shark boy..." She did as he had suggested though and made her way back to her room hurriedly. Luckily for her, the other members had decided to keep their noses out of her business for once and she was able to salvage her dignity.<p>

When she got back to her room, she immediately let her tail uncurl and ran to Chikakon's side. "Are you okay?" He groaned a little and raised his head dizzily. Natsuki smiled and rubbed between his ears. "You'll be fine; don't worry, I got him." The little fox yawned and she gently scooped him up and placed him on her pillow before shuffling in next to him. Her tail dangled out of the bed limply, still dripping wet, but Natsuki couldn't care less. The methodic thrumming of Chikakon's heartbeat slowly made her drift off to sleep with a small smile on her face.

_Her feet were bleeding. She didn't feel it though, she didn't stop as the rocks and pebbles tore more flesh from her soles. The wind press against her, rushing by and dragging at her hair. Her legs pumped faster. The trees turned to blurs as she streaked past. She broke free of them suddenly, the leaves that burst out with her seemed so slow... She ran ever faster, towards the outcropping of rock. The waterfall crashed from it's mouth like before. Before? What was this 'before'? Her feet did not hit solid ground this time. Her scream scattered the birds for miles around, the haziness that kept her going before diminished as her feet hit the spray. Her entire leg was engulfed and her body pummelled down. Down towards the pool. Her heart leapt in her throat. Her tears flew up to join the rest of the spray. Her feet cried out in pain and the spray stung like the mad wind lashing out at her like a whip._

_Impact._

_Her body bent at all the wrong angles as if she were nothing but a ragdoll as she hit the surface of the pool. The water yielded suddenly and her tail lashed about. Water flooded into her mouth and the choking feeling arose. Her lungs were burning already as they were deluged by the onslaught of water._

Natsuki flew upright. Her rapid breathe hitched in her throat and she struggled to choke the air down. Her lungs burnt and she was soaking wet. Had her dream somehow caught up to her? Could it take on some sort of solid form in reality? The thought sent a spear of terror through her chest. But then her towel fell lose a little and she sighed in relief. No, she was safe. She hadn't dried herself off before getting into bed, how silly of her to have forgotten. All that fear for nothing. She looked over at Chikakon, his chest rose and fell softly. He was alright, and he was still with her. He would remain safe. With her mind at relative peace, she slipped out of bed and dried herself off, wagging her tail like a dog to get most of the moisture out before she got dressed. It was five in the morning, but she didn't feel like going back to sleep. She wrapped Chikakon up in an old yukata and cradled him to her chest with one arm, picking up her cane, she left the room awkwardly.

Hobbling down the corridors at five a.m, Natsuki didn't expect to see anybody and fortunately for her, she didn't. However, with nobody to talk to, her mind was free to stray away from matters at hand and her thoughts wandered upon her dream. _That's the second one so far..._ She sighed. _I haven't had one in weeks, why would they come back now?_ Her head lifted to survey her surroundings. Her eyes lit up and she grinned down at Chikakon. "Hey, wake up!" He turned and opened one eye groggily. Natsuki stuck her tongue out at him and lifted him a little higher. They were on the spiral steps she had stumbled across when she had first arrived at the Akatsuki base. In the little window, a small trail of purple Morning Glory was clinging to the outside, it's flowers peeking up over the ledge. The morning sunrise blessed it's petals from the east, turning them a sweet translucent lilac. Chikakon lent out of her arms and sniffed at the flowers. Natsuki laughed shortly, staring out over the land through the small gap. It was very beautiful in a serene, melancholy way. Tranquil seemed to be the word for it.

The two of them stayed for a while longer, staring out across the world through that small little gap in the smoothened rock face, before the Sun rose high enough the dispell the enchantment that seemed to have enraptured them in such a trance. Natsuki slowly took Chikakon back to their room, where she bundled her blanket under the arm with her walking stick and lurched out to her work room.

A surprise met her at the door. Sasori was leant against the frame casually, a small knife was in his hand and flakes of wood were falling smoothly to the ground. He looked up as she ventured closer. Chikakon poked his head out of her yukata and sniffed the air. Sasori smiling fondly and rubbed his snout, the fox snorted and pulled back. He hadn't expected that. But a moment later, he had stuck his head back out and was nudging the puppet master's hand for attention. Natsuki rolled her eyes at him and then looked up at Sasori. "What are you doing here?" He pulled out a little carving from his sleeve. It's form crept forth from the block in a crude, half-finished kind of way. Natsuki could still tell that it was a fox though. "I'm carving this."  
>"Yeah, I can see that, but why <em>here<em> of all places?" He shrugged.  
>"I got bored." She eyed him incredulously, but settled for his answer and invited him in. They entered her work room and Natsuki brushed away the blueprints and circuit maps from her desk, piling the blanket into a nest-like shape and tucking Chikakon safely in it's center. Sasori came to have a look at him, sitting on the stool and examining his bruised head. Natsuki checked the boxes for any work, but only found a few bent senbon from Itachi, a couple of kunai from Kakuzu and a lopped off finger from one of Hidan's sacrifices. She sighed and flicked it out of the box and into the hall.<p>

For the next hour or so, Natsuki lazily worked on fixing the weapons, her hands working excruciatingly slowly thanks to her boredom. Sasori stayed sat next to Chikakon, carving out the little fox sculpture. Once she had finished up her work, she gathered some scrap materials from around her workbench and began tinkering. She didn't even realise it when her head hit the surface and her light, slumber-laden breaths filled the room.

Sasori looked up when Natsuki's head suddenly thumped against the desk. He hadn't felt any stressed energy roiling off of her, but his confusion was set aside when he realised she had just fallen asleep. A smile quirked at the corner of his lips, but he quickly suppressed the movement. With a sigh, he realised she would wake up cold and achy if he just left her like that, but it was safer on his behalf not to wake her. Heaving himself up, he walked over to her sleeping form and slid off his cloak, draping it over her shoulders gently. The door suddenly swung open without even a knock and Sasori was just about to yell at Deidara, but reeled back the bark to a strangled cough-like noise when he was a familiar shark-like figure. Kisame looked at him, golden eyes narrowed so carefully that Sasori almost missed it. He withdrew his hands from the cloak over the woman's shoulders and looked at the younger man boredly. "What are you doing here?" Kisame finally spoke, a lazily-hidden accent of accusation in his tone. Sasori refrained from sending the nin a glare, instead voting for a chide smirk, "Just hanging around." He knew his response who irritate Kisame, which was why he did it. He did not appreciate being spoken to as if he had committed a crime. Admittedly, he had, he was an S-ranked criminal of course, but he had done nothing wrong in being polite to Natsuki. Kisame 'tched' and looked away. "Whatever. Just tell her that me and Itachi-san are going on a mission." He left swiftly without even waiting for a reply. Sasori smirked and leant on the workbench. Victory was his, that shark had better learn to hide his emotions better from now on, he could see right through him during their little 'chat'. He may be a Swordsman of the Mist, but around Natsuki, he could barely keep himself in check. That jealous look in his eye? Sasori had caught it. What a fool that Hoshigaki could be at times, thinking that Sasori felt any sort of attraction to Natsuki was absurd. He, Akasuna no Sasori, was a puppet. He did not feel emotion, he used his rational mind. Yes, Natsuki was what most would call a 'friend', just like Deidara was a sort of 'friend' to him, but she was nothing more to him. Kisame Hoshigaki... He was a bit too possessive of things that didn't even belong to him. Sasori smirked. How foolish.

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, read, favourited or is watching Weapons Dealer!  
><strong>

**IMPORTANTE!  
>I will be uploading sporadically for the next few chapters probably due to upcoming exams, but I will still try to update every Monday.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Falling out with a plant man bears its consequences.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder through the corner of his eye at his partner. The older man was lost deep in his own thoughts. That worried Itachi. This mission was important, they couldn't afford to lose focus now. The tiniest hint of a frown etched it's way across the Uchiha's face and he picked up the pace a little. Best to get to Konoha as soon as possible.

The day lagged on from afternoon to evening, the birds began fleeing to their nests as darkness drew in after them and badgers and foxes began to emerge and snuffle through the undergrowth. Itachi came to a stop in the tree boughs. Kisame almost leapt into his back, but managed to stop himself in time. "We will set up camp here tonight." The Mist-nin eyed his partner, he seemed to be receiving the cold-shoulder from him and he didn't like it all too much. What did it matter though? He dropped down to the ground, Itachi had chosen a suitable place; large enough for a camp fire and two people to lie down, but encircled with a close enough proximity of trees for their minds to be at ease about being found. Any enemy ninja would first look for clearings for them at this time. Kisame looked over the ground in the fast-diminishing light for dried branches and kindling. Itachi was off scouting to the west, so he went in the opposite direction to find wood. By the time everything had fallen pitch black, Kisame had managed to collect an armful of branches, extracted of moisture from days under the dry sun. He stumbled back into camp clumsily, trying to find his way without any light to guide him. A tiny flickering flame came into life, hovering above Itachi's palm, and guided the missing-nin safely into camp without him making any more ruckus. Kisame dropped his load down and the small fire tumbled out of Itachi's hand at the faint caress of his breath, catching onto the kindling and leaping up at the fuel. The two ate and sat in front of the fire until it burnt itself out, then Kisame took the first watch of the night.

The stars shone brightly up in the sky that night, gleaming out from the dark blanket that held them shackled so high up. Kisame Hoshigaki stared up at the stars, on guard but still enraptured in his own thoughts. They kept drifting on back to Natsuki, sleeping with her cute face smushed into her workbench. He chuckled at the image, then abruptly strangled the noise in his throat. She was cute? He could feel a light heat in his cheeks and rubbed at them. He was not going to think that about Natsuki! It would only lead to trouble. Leader-sama didn't allow relationships and it was't like Natsuki would like a big blue freak like him anyway... He huffed and rested his chin in his hand. Rustling from below alerted him to movement. Before even the second was out, Samehada was in hand and he was calling out for Itachi. The Uchiha glowered up at him. "You are too het-up in your own thoughts to realise that I was turning over?" Kisame blinked. He lowered Samehada and blinked again. "S- sorry Itachi, I was just, um..." Itachi huffed, he hated being kept up at night. He still needed to sleep too, just because he was a prodigy didn't mean he was some kind of _God_. Jeez, ninja these days... "Save it. Are you going to do your job or are you going to keep daydreaming about her?"  
>"What?" Itachi's brows furrowed further towards his eyes with every passing syllable.<br>"It's quite obvious Kisame, though I would have thought that you would be able to keep your thoughts from showing on your purple face."  
><em>Wow, Uchiha's really do get insultive when their grouchy. I wonder if weasels get grouchy too... Maybe there's a connection or-<br>_"If you're making weasel jokes in your head, you'd better stop it now!"  
><em>He's a mind reader.<br>_"Stop it before I sharingan you!"  
><em>Then again... maybe not.<br>_"Anyway," Itachi brushed off one shoulder and in an instant, his stoic demeanor was back. He seemed to have inhaled the scent of some tea. "You really should work on keeping yourself to yourself, you're letting yourself slip Kisame. There's an old saying, _One who guards his secrets has complete control over his affairs_. I think you would do well to remember that as _Often the utterances and expressions of your face leak out the secrets of your hidden thoughts_."  
>"... Itachi! Stop talking in riddles!" With a chide smirk, the Uchiha flopped back onto his bedroll and fell asleep. Or at least, Kisame <em>thought<em> he was asleep.

_Whatever..._

"Natsuki, I have another mission for you." Natsuki glowered through the darkness at Leader-sama. He said it so nonchalantly, as if she was always out on missions. She could almost rip his head off. But then she'd have to clean up the mess and she didn't want to deal with that, or have his ghost come to haunt her, so she had to make do with just pretending to torture and kill him in her imagination. "You will be going to Sunagakure with Deidara." The blonde's name tore Natsuki out of her sweet daydreams and she returned her glare upon the man in the shadows. Lilac, foreboding eyes peered out above steepled fingers. "You will be leaving within the hour, Deidara will find you when he is prepared." He deftly flicked one hand out, shooing her from his office. Gladly, Natsuki complied. She didn't want to stand in that stuffy room any longer than she had to.

Natsuki didn't know how long her mission was, nor what it entailed. What she did know, however, was that Suna was hot. Very. Hot. She didn't much like the heat, and Chikakon detested it, so Natsuki decided to leave him at the base with Sasori. She did that first, not wanting to be gone if Deidara came along. If he did, then she held no doubts that he would blow her door off it's hinges and probably steal her clothes again. Sasori took Chikakon in with no protests, telling her to watch out for Deidara's pranks, before she left to finish getting ready.

Her katana strapped horizontally at the base of her spine, the sleeves of her top pinned up as if she were working and a hidden spanner tucked inside the fold of her kimono, Natsuki was ready and prepared to go. Physically. Mentally, she was a tumultuous sea of murderous intent. Why the hell did _she_ have to go on a mission with Deidara? _I bet it's some stupid plan of 'Leader-sama's' just to irk me off-  
><em>"Hey, un! We're leaving now, so hurry it up!" Deidara. Huffing, Natsuki stalked out of her room, letting the door thud shut behind her. Not quite a slam, but almost. They participated in a mini glaring contest before turning their heads and storming down the corridor. Perhaps it would have been more dramatic if they hadn't had to go the same way, but a mission was a mission. And what a gruelling and painful one it would be.

"A scouting mission?" She deadpanned, most of her voice getting whipped away by the wind. Deidara gritted his teeth and amped up his glare. Natsuki doubled hers. "_Yes_, a scouting mission."  
>"Why not Zetsu then? It's his <em>job!<em>" At this Deidara finally averted his glare, looking instead out at the clouds to his right. A snippet of words flew by her ears, buffeted beyond recognition by the howling wind. "_What?_" The blonde whipped his head around to yell at her.  
>"<em>I pissed off Zetsu!<em>" Natsuki's face drew a blank.  
>"<em>You stupid God-damned-<em>" She threw herself at the younger man's neck, the clay bird they were riding on took a dodgy swerve to the left, dipping and plummeting to the ground.

Ah yes. The joys of falling out with a plant man.

**I am SO sorry! I had No inspiration for this chapter whatsoever, I originally wanted to go more into the two missions, but it just wasn't happening.  
>Anyways, I still have to revise for what... four exams? Whoop-di-doo...<strong>

**Sorry for the short chapter and I really hope it won't take so long for me to upload next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Thoughts of a shark.  
>"Rrgh..." Natsuki sat up stiffly and rubbed the back of her head. Deidara pushed himself onto his knees just as slowly. A minute or so passed as they cleared their heads of the dizzying spots swarming across their vision. "You... fox-loving <em>idiot!<em>" Deidara was the first to yell, hurling a fist in her direction. Quick to react, Natsuki yanked out the spanner from in the folds of her top, bonking the blonde on his ditzy head. He collapsed, sending up a pile of dust and sand. Natsuki sighed and looked away into the distance. Her leg was sending pangs of pain shooting through her nerves and it didn't help much that she appeared to have lost her cane on the rather unexpected decent they had taken. "Dammit... Now I have to go look for it..." She stood and glanced down at Deidara. "Be a good terrorist bomber now and stay right there."

Infiltrating Konoha was all too easy. The singular guard at one of the lesser gates was no match for Itachi's sharingan and they were able to simply waltz right on in. They stayed silent whilst traipsing the streets of the Leaf Village, scouting for the nine-tails jinchuriki. Needing to keep a low profile however, they ducked into a sweet shop that Itachi was quick to point out and staked-out there. They kept an ear out for any news of the vessel, the boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. Whilst waiting, they ordered two plates of dango, both mitarashi. Kisame didn't have much of a sweet tooth when it came down to dango, but he decided to just go with it anyways. Unfortunately, he found it quite hard to focus on their mission. What Itachi had said last night kept reeling about in his head.

'_One who guards his secrets has complete control over his affairs.'_

Was he trying to say that so long as he kept his growing affection for Natsuki a secret, they could actually... He refrained from outwardly shaking his head under his rice hat. Okay, so what if he was close to Natsuki. Yes, he might feel some... _attraction_ towards her, it was only natural. He was a man and she was a rather good-looking woman. They had a good time together, except for those arguements that seemed to crop up all too often. He shifted his jaw a little having not realised that he had been gritting his teeth a little during his ruminations. What was he _thinking?_ Even if they could slip under the radar as a couple - that word sent a strange buzz through his stomach - there was very little information that Kisame could go off to even suggest that she had an inkling of the same feelings for him that he had for her. She spent most of her time either in her workshop with Chikakon, training with Itachi or - he grimaced - or hanging out with _Sasori_. A puppet. He didn't like to think it, but she might actually like that stupid '_artist_'. Or perhaps she actually liked Itachi? His eyes almost shot up to meet his partner's. Itachi wasn't paying any attention though, he was sat with his eyes closed, honing his ears to every sound there was out in the busy street. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open a fearsome crimson. "Let's go." They were gone within the second.

"For God's sake Deidara, shut _up!_ Blah, blah, blah, that's all I've heard for the past _three _hours. You're giving me a _headache!_"  
>"We wouldn't <em>be<em> in this situation if you hadn't crashed the bird, un!"  
>"We wouldn't be here <em>at all<em> if you had just been nice to Zetsu!"  
>"It's not my fault if he's a bit touchy about that huge plant eating his head-"<br>"Just SHUT _UP!_"  
>"Make me, un!"<br>"YOU ASKED FOR IT..."

What an annoying man this was, droning on and on about Kisame, how he was in this many bingo books, wanted in every land... Sure, it had been a great ego boost the first time someone had mentioned that to him, but that had been years ago and now it was getting old. How many times had he heard people say that he was a fearsome monster? Hundreds. Now this irritating Leaf shinobi was adding to the count. Kisame was itching to ram Samehada into his gut and see how much blood was in the smaller man's system. Maybe he had some nice chakra too? With a frighteningly deadly grin, he lifted Samehada with one hand and brought it down on the ground, crumbling the earth beneath it. "Itachi, this man is annoying me, can't I kill him?"  
>"Hn. We won't be getting anywhere without a fight anyway." That was the green light. The second Itachi's rice hat hit the ground, Kisame had pounced.<p>

Samehada swung down at the puny Leaf nin who had to use both hands to block Kisame's tirade of an attack. With one last push, Samehada had eagerly ripped into the flesh of the man's arm. He cried out in pain and stumbled back. The woman flew out from crouching behind her companion's back, pressing her hands together. Kisame paid no further attention to her though, instead pushing the male Leaf shinobi back.

"That level of genjutsu won't work on me." Itachi said, slightly annoyed at such an inconvenience. Kurenai, Itachi attempted to remember her name from years ago, snarled and tried to free herself from the binds of the tree. She had been sure she had trapped both him _and _that kisame Hoshigaki! She bit her lip, feeling the thick globule of blood swell above her skin. Itachi prepared a kunai, gripping it with both hands. Her was going to run her through-

Natsuki sat atop one of the roofs of Suna, baking under the Sun and tapping her fingers on her chin. Deidara was taking forever. He had gone off to wander around town whilst Natsuki had to sit and spy on Suna's most feared resident. Gaara of the Sand. She sighed heavily, casting her eyes out to the horizon. The Sun was nowhere near setting... A scruffy brown-haired boy with dark eyes and tanned skin clambered up onto the roof that moment, a silly grin on his face. A tooth was chipped and he didn't wear any shoes. "Hey! Fox-lover!" Natsuki's eyes immediately narrowed into a glare.  
>"<em>What<em> is it now, blondie?" The boy raised one hand, shifting a paper bag of things to the other arm. With a poof, he had turned back into Deidara. "Well don't go insulting me now, un. I have the food!" He grinned cheekily, tossing over a steamed red bean bun. Natsuki eyed it suspiciously. "... What did you do to it?"  
>"Nothing!" He looked offended at the thought of tampering with her food, but she knew better.<br>"Your hand just touched it, I bet you licked it!"  
>"Just eat it already..." Deidara huffed and sat down next to her, crossing his legs and pulling out his own steamed red bean bun from his bag. Natsuki sniffed at hers before biting into it gingerly.<p>

"Blegh! _Deidara!_ That's disgusting! What'd you _do _to that thing?"  
>"Hm? Oh, I thought you liked sand?"<p>

"This bun is finding its way into your _face!_"

Kisame shifted Samehada on his back, causing Itachi to shift his gaze to him for a second. He could tell his partner wasn't all too pleased that he had stopped them from fighting a full-scale battle, but it had been necessary. Now they were headed back to the base and despite his wounded pride at being kicked, Kisame had a slight spring in his step. A chill wind blew and with it, the first few snowflakes of an early Winter.

**Phew... 10 minutes to spare getting this one out for Monday... Another short and really crappy chapter. I hate writing out scenes from the actual anime, so I cut it short, sorry ^^;  
>Anyways, I've been without a plan for the past 2 chapters, but I've got an idea for CH13, so I'll do my best and it'll be better, I promise!<strong>

**Next time in Weapons Dealer, Chapter 13...  
><strong>_His fur bristled, standing on end as he let out a ferocious roar, shaking rocks from the ceiling.  
><em>_"Aargh!"  
>"ITACHI!"<em>


	13. Chapter 13

**ATTENTION! There is a short scene with a needle in this chapter, if you don't like needles, then please skip the paragraph after the line: _She didn't think she'd like this..._**

Chapter Thirteen: Kitsu'.  
>Natsuki huffed, knees buckling as she jumped to the ground. Deidara leapt down afterwards, releasing his jutsu on his clay bird. They both savoured a final glare between themselves before stalking inside the base. They ran into Hidan first, who sure as Hell gave them a couple of stupid remarks that only succeeded in pissing the both of them off. Natsuki refrained from punching him, knowing it wouldn't even knock him off his feet, let alone knock him out, so she instead left to find the quiet sanctuary of her room. She hadn't even gotten to the door when Itachi and Chikakon showed up. Chikakon bounded into her arms, nuzzling his face into her cheek affectionately. She had been gone for at least a week, so it was understandable. Itachi looked like he was well-rested and spick-and-span as ever. Natsuki was jealous. She wanted to be well-rested too. "Good, you are back. I'll see you in the arena in ten minutes." No ifs, no buts, no arguing. Natsuki knew she had to go. <em>Ten minutes... I can't even catch a quick nap before then... <em>She wept inwardly at her exhaustion and turned into her room, not daring to flop on the bed for fear of Itachi's wrath when she missed another training session. Instead, she changed out of her dirty clothes and into some clean ones, scrubbed her face and left, Chikakon on her heels.

"Nngh!" Natsuki bit back the gasp, skidding to a halt eight feet away from the Uchiha. Her arm and stomach felt bruised and broken, her head throbbed and her legs shook. Itachi could see how badly she was faring, and yet he refused to let her take a break. Whenever she tried to stop or leave, he came at her with a deadly amount of force. He was testing her willpower and stamina, as if they hadn't already been tested when she battled against Hidan and Kisame when she was first enlisted. "Keep your guard up!" Natsuki's head whipped up, eyes flying wide open at Itachi, plunging towards her with kunai. She legs twitched, as if wanting to move, but she couldn't, he was going to-

_Screams laced the air, drenching out the sounds of the blood flying, the fires roaring, They looked on, shaking in the midst of so many dead and dying, so many trying to flee with their lives. "_Chikako!_ Run!" Their heads whipped around, blood suddenly spurted from their neighbour, dying her violet kimono a most hateful red. Her eyes were wide, throat taking in dry air. The sword sifted, then was wrenched from her gut. She fell to the ground. Dead. Dead, Dead DEAD! They couldn't stop shaking, her legs wouldn't move, his body, curled against her chest, was frozen in shock with only tremors wracking it. _Run..._ Her foot slipped back. She ran._

His fur bristled, standing on end as he let out a ferocious roar, shaking rocks from the ceiling.  
>"<em>AARGH!<em>" Natsuki's eyes shot up.  
>"<em>ITACHI!<em>"

Chikakon stood, at least seven feet tall, jaws lined with murderous canines clamped around Itachi's arm. His growl resonated throughout the entire arena. Pebbles jumped in their places, the leaves trembled. Natsuki straightenned, eyes so wide in horror that her corneas appeared tiny. "Itachi..." He choked up more blood, the kunai clinking against the ground. "Chikakon, let him go!" Her tail swished in heightened agitation and she stumbled to him, prying at his jaws with her hands. "Chikakon, let him go, it's alright! You're scaring me!" His jaws laxed and he released Itachi's arm. The Uchiha swayed for second, before falling to his knees. "Itachi are you okay?" Natsuki threw herself beside him, trying to get a better look at the wound. He let out an indiscernible grunt, clamping his hand around the wound.

"J- just hold on, I'm going to get help-" Itachi's vision blurred and he grabbed at her wrist before she left. The world lurched, ground rocking to try and touch the sky. He thought he dipped forwards, but couldn't tell.

Black.

Natsuki clamped her mouth shut, muscles throbbing and aching. With the last dregs of her willpower, she hefted the younger man up, struggling to get his good arm over her shoulders. She wrapped her spare arm around his waist and cast a glance at Chikakon, heart pounding. He was a normal fox again. She didn't understand...

_Tears stained her cheeks, her leg throbbed and ached and she could still smell the rancid blood in her nostrils. Her neighbours, her friends, all like family. Family. Her parents, were they... The tears fled across her face even harder. She pushed herself faster. The trees began to turn to blurs. She still had Chikakon, they would find her parents later. They'd be alright. Right? A little wail escaped her lips, her choked throat._

Natsuki pulled Itachi down the corridor, trying to support his weight. Chikakon slunk along beside her, his face wracked with guilt. She cast him a strained smile.

_A group of bandits crashed out of the trees in front of them. Their eyes latched on her and Chikakon. Dull swords, made for brutal hacking, pointing in their direction. Vulgar laughs left their lips. She skidded to a halt, trying to back up. They shot forwards, creaming out choruses of manic laughter. The adrenaline pounded in her ears. She was scared. She was terrified. Her eyes darted to Chikakon, they had to escape before they were- He was trembling. But not in fear. Power exuded off of him, his fur bristled and he let out a low, resonating growl. Their attackers didn't notice. The growl rose, reverberated, it snarled and lurched and so did his form, wavering and growing, the noise erupted into the most terrifying of roars. _

_He shot forwards, tearing at the bandits limbs, maiming them so they could never harm anyone again. _

_She knew many were dead. The thought brought bile to her mouth._

"It's alright." Natsuki whispered, smiling at Chikakon, "I understand. You just want to protect me." His eyes lit up at her forgiveness. She faced away, a determined spark in her. "And I promised you, I would protect you too because... you're my only family..."

The door swung open and Natsuki dragged pulled Itachi into his room. She tried to set him on his bed, but he ended up hanging halfway off. Chikakon scampered up to her with a first-aid kit in his mouth from the bathroom. "Thank-you." She took it and quickly cut Itachi's sleeve off, not wanting to move the wound too much. She took the sleeve and ran to the bathroom, soaking it in water before returning and cleaning the wound. The flesh was marred with deep gashes from Chikakon's teeth. Natsuki grimaced and tenderly took out a needle and surgical thread. She licked her lips and gulped. She didn't think she'd like this...

The point pierced his flesh and she cringed, pulling it to the other side of the first laceration. She almost hurled having to watch the fleshy, scarlet skin being pulled back together. Itachi stirred, turning his head away in his unconscious state. "Sorry Itachi..."

Natsuki wiped over the stitches with a clean bit of the wetted sleeve, being carefully not to irritate them. Confident that it wouldn't hurt him now, she took his cloak off with a little difficulty, but left his shirt on, even if it was slightly bloodstained. Gently, she arranged him more comfortably on his bed, propping his head on a pillow and hefting his legs onto the bed, instead of having them hang over the edge like they had been before. His chest heaved suddenly and his head fell to the side, onyx eyes cracking open. "Uurgh..." He let out a thick groan. Natsuki's eyes lit up, he was going to be okay. "You know," She started, attempting to crack a joke. "Between you, Kisame and me, I'm going to be an experienced medic by the end of the week." He chuckled slightly and she smiled, a little shocked with the noise when he had just been mauled by a size-changing fox. "Don't count me in with you two, I'm not such accident-prones." He smiled a little, eyes drooping a little. "Hey..." Natsuki warned, but smiled slightly anyway. He had fallen asleep. "Let's go Chikakon." She and her little red fox quietly left, letting the door click shut behind them. Now she could go and get a shower, sleep and eat food. Not in that order.

**Yes! I'm on a roll! A short-chapter roll! Anyways, moving on.  
>Thanks to everyone who reviewed CH11, I forgot to mention that in CH12. Also, thanks to all of the watches etc. i really appreciate it!<br>**  
>Next time in Weapons Dealer: Chapter 14, <em>If luck would have<em>_ it._****

_"What? Another mission?  
>"What the fuck? You!"<br>_

_"Well I don't like you either!"_

_"What the hell happened to your stupid rat?"  
>"I told you, he's a FOX, or is the gap from rodent to canine to big for your tiny brain to handle?"<em>


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: If luck would have it.  
>Natsuki tossed and turned in her sheets. Tears fled down her face and she let out a low whimper. Drowning and burning all clashed in her dreams, her nightmare. Chikakon looked at her sadly from the end of the bed. He padded over, jumping over her twitching legs and nuzzling her cheek. He laid down, he would watch over her in her sleep. He would be her shield, just like he had promised.<p>

Natsuki woke up that morning groggy and somehow sleep-deprived. She sighed, running a hand down her face. "Right," She shook Chikakon by her side, who was still asleep. "Get up, lazy-bum." He growled a little, cracking an eye open and yawning. "There we go, come on." He snorted and closed his again. "Ch. Fine then, you have until I finish getting ready for the day." He barely nodded before falling back into his dreams. Natsuki shook her head, fondness shining in her eyes. Clambering awkwardly over Chikakon's body, she limped her way into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Undressing and stepping in, Natsuki inspected her body for recent wounds. Her stomach wasn't blotched in colour like she had expected it to have been after Itachi's little after-mission training session, but it was tender and sore. Her arm felt the same, but she could already see the emerging greens and purples. Another one on the upper half off her other arm showed evidence of one of her many scuffles with Deidara. That particular one had been for throwing the steamed 'bean' bun at his face. He thought she was being ungrateful, but to be quite honest, she didn't really think that sand-filled food was worth appreciating. She looked down to check her legs and recoiled, falling back into the wall. A net of green veins encompassed her entire left thigh. Blood dribbled from her lip and she stopped biting it so hard. "Great..."

"_Hey Chikakon, Chikakon! I found them!" She grinned, pointing to the berry bush. "You stay there!" She leapt into the sea of nettles, her legs protected by her hakama and her feet by her socks and tabi. She waded through the stinging plants, laughing and looking back to keep an eye on Chikakon. "Halfway there!" Pain suddenly spiked up her leg and she looked down, expecting to see a nettle stabbing through the fabric. A coil of barbed tendrils pierced through her skin and she whimpered. Crimson flowers veined with green leered at her from the stem of the plant. "C- Chikakon!" Tears that had welled in her eyes spilled over, tumbling down her face. "Chikakon, get Mummy! Get Mummy!"_

Natsuki dug her nails into her leg, hissing and rasping out the only noises she could through her gritted teeth. "_Haaah..._"

"_I'm afraid your daughter has been poisoned."  
><em>"_What? But isn't there anything we can do?"  
><em>"_The medicine wouldn't arrive on time, though I doubt you could afford it anyway..."  
><em>"_But there must be something we can do?"  
><em>"_Haah... I can give her another medicine, but it has a lot of side effects and may not cure the paralysis. In the worst case scenario, we may have to amputate the leg."_

"Nngh!" Natsuki collapsed to the bottom of the tub, pressing her forehead into her knees, trying to apply as much pressure as she could to her leg. She could feel every blood cell burning through her veins, feel every pulse resonate through her blood.

"_Nnnn... M- Mummy? Mummy!"  
><em>"_I'm here Chikako, it's alright, you're going to be alright..."  
><em>"_Y- you're not my Mummy... Where's my Mummy? Mummy? Mummy!" "Chikako! I'm right here, I'm here!"  
><em>"_NO! Mummy! There's a monster after me, MUMMY!"_

"AARGH!" Natsuki screamed, slamming her head into the wall. She kicked out her leg, writhing in pain. Her tail thrashed. "Make it stop, make it stop!" Tears mingled with the water.

"_Good news, your daughter will be able to keep her leg. There is no need to amputate it and there will be no more hallucinations now that she is off the medicine. She has made a full recovery."  
><em>"_Oh thank God! Thank-you so much Doctor!"  
><em>"_I implore that she does not over-exert her leg, however, as it needs to heal fully. Good day."  
><em>"_I'm alright? Chikakon, did you hear that? I'm alright! I can keep my leg! Mummy, Daddy! I can keep my leg!"  
><em>"_Yes, honey, but please, do as the doctor says..."  
><em>"_I will Mummy! I'll rest it, I promise!"_

"Rgh!" _I never did rest it... I didn't let the poisoned muscles heal... I left myself with no hope of recovery and now I must live with the lame leg I gave myself. I am responsible for this pain. My pain._

Natsuki limped down the corridor, Chikakon steadfast at her side. She rubbed at her eyes, which she knew where still red and puffy. She stopped at a door and knocked quietly. A scratchy voice sounded from the other side, "Come in." They stepped into the room, only a small lamp on sitting on a small coffee table in the middle of the room. "Are you alright Itachi-san?" Itachi smirked, letting out a small chuckle. He looked up from the small sofa in front of the coffee table, an old book in his lap. "We Uchihas are sturdy demons. And please, drop the -san, I don't hold any grudge against you."  
>"Eheh, alright. What about Chikakon?" Chikakon's ears perked and he bounded forwards, leaping onto the coffee table and kit-fox eyes. Pun intended. Itachi looked up at the ceiling.<br>"Hmmm... If he gets off my table, then yes." Chikakon barked and leapt into his lap, licking at Itachi's face. "Hey, hey!" He let out a small laugh, pushing him down with his good arm.  
>"Chikakon, be gentle." Natsuki warned, limping over and removing him from Itachi. He smiled in polite thanks. "Well, we'll be going now, we just wanted to make sure you were okay."<br>"I'm absolutely fine, but thank-you." Natsuki nodded and left, letting Chikakon down at the door.

They walked through the corridors until they reached Natsuki's work room. There were only a few shuriken from Kakuzu, though that kind of weapon didn't seem to suit him for some reason, and a purposefully mangled kunai from Hidan. Natsuki sighed, taking out Hidan's kunai and inspecting it. Was it a test? Should she take the bait? Or should she just hurl it back in his face and ignore the snide remarks to follow? She sighed, putting it back. She'd fix it if she felt like working after fixing Kakuzu's shuriken.

Natsuki heated one of the four blades, taking up one of her smaller hammers and gentle tapping the malleable metal back into shape. It didn't take much effort and she was just in the process of checking the angles when she heard one of the flaps on the boxes tap shut. Getting up, she hobbled towards the boxes and checked them one-by-one. There was a slip of paper in Zetsu's box.

'_Leader-sama requests that you go to his office immediately.'_

Natsuki sighed and looked back at Chikakon, sleeping amidst a pile of spanners and wrenches. "Come on, Chikakon." He looked up, eyes bleared with sleep. "I know, but you don't want to stay in here where Hidan could find you." That woke him up. He leapt to his feet, dashing out of the door. "Alrighty then, let's go!"

"You're going on another mission."  
>"What? But I just got back from-"<br>"You have. another. mission." Natsuki huffed and looked away. "Be at the main entrance as soon as you are ready. Do not delay, you are dismissed." She and Chikakon left swiftly, Chikakon flicked his tail rudely on the way out and Natsuki had to force herself not to synchronise with him. "Come on, something tells me we should be quick." They moved quickly through the maze of halls and passageways, Natsuki speeding along as fast as her leg would allow her, Chikakon pacing himself at her feet. As soon as she got to their room, she strapped on her katana, slipped a spanner into the folds of her kimono and slipped her little dagger behind the sheath of her katana. She piled her hair into a messy ponytail, grabbed her cane, called Chikakon, and they were gone in minutes.

"What the fuck? You!"  
>"Well I don't like you either!" Kakuzu let out a heavy sigh, walking out of the base. Hidan and Natsuki didn't even notice, too busy wrapped up in their glaring contest.<br>"_For the love of ryo..._ Come on! We're starting the mission!" Hidan's head whirled up to yell at Kakuzu and Natsuki gained a triumphant smirk on her face. She had won. The two quickly followed after Kakuzu; from what Natsuki had seen and heard of him, he was quite short-tempered and violent. Not to mention, his name was in red on Sasori's map. A cold blast of air hit them and Natsuki shivered, she wished she had put on some more layers, but last time she had seen any amount of weather, she was in Sunagakure. The grass was crisp, crunching slightly beneath her feet. A shiver ran down the length of her tail and she let it swish just once to warm up. That thought seemed odd somehow. Warming a tail up... She looked a Chikakon, swishing his. "Do you have to keep it warm?" He looked up and bounced a little. Natsuki nodded and looked ahead. "Come on, we're falling behind."

"A bounty hunt?" Natsuki stared, not believing her ears.  
>"Yes..." Kakuzu's rough voice confirmed. Hidan's rant continued from behind the two of them. He had started complaining a few hours ago and Natsuki was at her wit's end with it. She could tell Kakuzu was aswell. "We must pick up the pace if we are to intercept him on time." Natsuki was sure her heart just plummeted. Her leg was sending horrendous bouts of pain up her leg to her hip, and down to her knee. "And just who is this 'him'?"<br>"Someone with a very large bounty over his head."  
><em>I can see why Hidan calls you Miser now...<em>

Unfortunately, they did end up picking up the pace, which meant that Natsuki was constantly grimacing from the back, trying to keep up with the two men. Chikakon shot her a lot of worried looks. Natsuki refused to bow down though and give in to her weakness. Suddenly, Kakuzu stopped, looked around, then turned off the path and started maneuvering his way through the trees. Natsuki sighed at the prospect of all those roots and Hidan threw up his arms, kicking up another hissy fit. After clambering through all of the trees though, they came out in a large clearing. The grass was wet, soaking Natsuki's feet and she shivered. Ice seemed to run down her tail and she had to concentrate solely on not letting it thrash about. Chikakon had found a stray grasshopper and was chasing it. "He's coming." Kakuzu's voice spoke.

The battle commenced the second this man, this 'bounty', stepped one foot into the clearing. Hidan hurled himself forwards, screaming out, "_Congratulations!_ You're my newest sacrifice to Jashin!" Kakuzu waited patiently, watching as the man defended himself from Hidan's onslaught of attacks. Suddenly, he broke free and tried to flee, darting for the surrounding trees. Natsuki took that as her chance. She summoned her chakra as fast as possible, letting her hands follow their instinct. A great fireball raged and took form, thundering towards the man. He skidded to a halt, running back the other way to the center of the clearing to escape the fire. His hands flew together, "Wind Release, temple of the hurricane!" Air rushed past Natsuki, soaring for the bounty. It massed around him, taking on a visible form swirling around the man like an impenetrable wall. Hidan threw something black and slim into the convulsing air currents. It flew around in circles until it was spat back out, flying towards Natsuki, she only just managed to dodge the spear, so close to impaling her head. "Watch it Hidan!" She yelled, having half a mind to storm over to him and throw him into the hurricane himself. Kakuzu lifted an arm slightly and Natsuki saw it... detach? What. the. Hell. His arm just came off! It shot into the ground, some kind of black cords keeping it attached to the rest of his arm. Natsuki couldn't believe her eyes. Suddenly, the man inside the hurricane was dragged into the ground with a yell and the hurricane wavered. With one last jerk, his head disappeared underground and he came up, hanging from Kakuzu's grip, outside of his protection. It faltered once more and dispersed with a heavy sigh. "For someone with such a large bounty over his head, you weren't very challenging." He tossed the man to Hidan's feet. "There, have your fun with him and then let's go." Natsuki didn't really want to remember what happened after that, but she decided that Hidan was definitely a maniac. Not that she had had any doubts of course.

Natsuki sat down in the clearing, rubbing her leg to try and stop the pain from being so violent. Chikakon was sat at her feet, Hidan hunting down rabbits and whatnot to kill somewhere else in the clearing. Kakuzu had taken the dead body, mangled and broken, to somewhere he called 'the collection office'. Hidan had recommended she not go and, from the sounds of his voice and how he had pinched his nose, she had for once complied. When Kakuzu got back, there were two other people with him. Natsuki recognised them immediately. Kisame and Itachi. She got up and limped towards them, Chikakon bounding ahead to greet them all. "What are you two doing here?" She asked, looking from one missing-nin to the next.  
>"Leader-sama wants you to help us on our mission." Itachi provided. Kakuzu dipped his head to Natsuki and left them, calling to Hidan as if he were a small child that wouldn't leave the park. "What's your mission?"<br>"Just keeping tabs on Orochimaru's whereabouts. As soon as we find his current lair, we'll head back." Kisame said, grinning lopsidedly. Natsuki couldn't help but smile at that face.  
>"Don't tell me you fell out with Zetsu too?" He laughed and Itachi smirked.<br>"No, he's on another mission." The three departed, Natsuki calling out for Chikakon who had run off to chase something again. Another chill wind blew and Natsuki shivered. This time, she let her tail swish to keep warm. The two men looked back at her, both smiling. She grinned back, Chikakon pouncing on her head. This was the best team she could wish for.

The four of them sat, shivering before their fire under the night sky. A light snow was beginning to fall, but luckily the heat from the flames kept the majority of it from settling on them. Their backs were still cold though. Chikakon was snuggled up into Natsuki's stomach and she was protected from the elements on either side by Kisame and Itachi leaning on her. Chikakon had caught their tea, but it hadn't lasted long. Soon, in Natsuki's bleary, drowsy state, she felt a light pressure exert itself on her shoulder. Her eyes gradually looked over and a small smile tugged at her lips. Itachi had fallen asleep, dropping his head onto her shoulder. She slowly looked to Kisame, who smiled back.

Natsuki didn't know when it was that she had fallen asleep, but the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake Itachi. Her head jerked up and Kisame jolted, sitting upright in a flash as if he expected an attack. The fire had stayed alight throughout the night, so they weren't cloaked in snow like the rest of their surroundings. "We have to get going now." He murmured, bathed in the weak early morning sunlight. Natsuki squinted up at him. Despite how little Sun there was and how drab it was, the snow reflected it powerfully. Natsuki got up, cradling Chikakon in one arm and picking up her cane. Kisame stretched beside her, stamping out the fire before they all left.

After yesterday's hours of fruitless walking, not being able to find any of Orochimaru's occupied bases, they were hoping to have a luckier day. But as they went on and the hours passed, the weather grew colder and a blizzard began to set in with them only having found one more base. Unoccupied again. Chikakon bundled himself inside Natsuki's top, pressing into her body for warmth and she in turn let her tail thrash about to generate heat. She could see Itachi and Kisame shiver every so often under their thick cloaks and began to seriously regret not bringing some sort of coat herself. The snow was building up, soaking their ankles, then their calves, until it got to their knees. They had been searching for some kind of shelter since the blizzard first started, but they hadn't found anything and now it seemed as if they were going to buried beneath frigid snow and die. Natsuki whimpered a little and hugged Chikakon. She couldn't let that happen. She had to figure out some way of getting them out of this. Her eyes flicked from Kisame to Itachi to Chikakon. She stopped, turning to the West. She dropped her cane onto the snow and gathered up her chakra. Her hands flashed together as she performed a Great Fireball Jutsu, watching it sear through the snow, melting it away. "Natsuki!" Her head whipped around. Itachi wore a light frown and Kisame ran a hand down his face.  
>"What?"<br>"You released your chakra!" Itachi scolded. "Our cover's just been blown." Natsuki gulped and grinned sheepishly.  
>"Well... at least it's not so cold now?" Kisame huffed.<br>"If you were that cold, you should have just said." Her tail whipped violently.  
>"I would have thought it was obvious."<br>"It doesn't matter now." Itachi stepped in between the brewing arguement. "Let's just keep moving, everybody stay on guard." Natsuki nodded glumly. She had just ruined the mission... Something warm landed on her head. She jumped, looking up to see what it was. A black cloak adorned with red clouds. It slipped and fell to her shoulders. She blinked at Kisame's retreating back, his shoulders bearing the harsh climate to compensate for her lack of planning. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"He's here." Itachi whispered, his voice barely audible in their urgency to remain undetected. Natsuki nodded, shifting her grip on her cane. Kisame crouched beside her, one hand hovering above the ground, prepared to grab Samehada at a moment's notice. Itachi's sharingan turned calculatingly. A minute later, he started shuffling back. Their mission was complete. He had Orochimaru's current location logged in his memory. Kisame crept back too and Natsuki followed, holding Chikakon under one arm. As soon as they had put some distance between them and Orochimaru's base, they stood and leapt away. They could finally head back.

No snow fell that night. They had bunked in a cave a ways up on a cliff just in case though and had a small fire going. Just enough to keep them warm, but not enough to alert others of their presence. Itachi was on guard that night and Natsuki had already fallen asleep, huddled against Kisame's side with Chikakon bundled in her arms. Kisame was still awake, looking out blankly across the cave. His hand twitched and gradually he brought it up to brush a strand of hair from her face gently. With that, he allowed himself to drift gently off to sleep.

Natsuki woke up groggily, jerking again. Why was she... moving? What? Her bleary eyes surveyed her surroundings. She blinked, her vision clearing slightly. She appeared to be very high up and still wrapped in Kisame's cloak. She yawned, rubbing her cheek against a shock of blue hair. After half an hour of waking up, she finally spoke. "Can you let me down now Kisame?" She felt his head move to look up at her. "Sure." He stopped and crouched down. Natsuki slid off of his back, thanking him for letting her sleep. He only nodded.  
>"Oh," She clapped her hands together, slipping out of his cloak and holding it out for him. "Here you go, t- thanks again." She felt her cheeks heat up a little bit and turned away, walking on. Kisame pulled his cloak back on, following after her. He could smell her scent all over his cloak. It made him blush. Itachi looked back at the two. "We're almost there." He called.<p>

Chikakon trotted by Natsuki's heels happily, the snow only coming up to just above his ankles. Suddenly, something crashed out of the trees and they all leapt back, Samehada, katana and sharingan out. Kisame was bowled over by and indistinguishable blur and then Itachi was taken down by something plummeting from above. Natsuki raised her katana to attack when somebody jumped her from behind. She gasped as she collapsed in the snow and her katana fell from her grasp. Shrill laughs reached her ears and she looked up. Hidan was cackling madly, sat cross-legged on Kisame's chest and rubbing it in the shark's face how they were ambushed so easily. Deidara was on his back, kicking about in hysterics. Puppet hands entered Natsuki's vision as Sasori got off her. She stood, shivering as the snow fell form her soaked clothes. He smiled at her and laughed a little. "Got you." Her eyes darkenned and she bent down to retrieve her katana. A snowball launched through the air and hit the redhead square in the face. "Got you!"

**Yay! It's nearly Christmas! In Weapons Dealer anyways. I'm sorry I didn't include everything that was in the preview, I swear this story has a life of its own.  
><strong>**Anyways, _ryo_ is the currency used in Naruto.**

**Also, thanks to everybody who reviewed, I really appreciate it and it's always a pleasure to hear from you. You're also super-duper good at motivating me!**

**.**

**Next time in Weapons Dealer: Chapter Fifteen...  
><strong>**"**_It's repulsive, it reminds me of people's feet. I don't see why people think mistletoe is so romantic, it sounds like a division of athlete's foot."_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Mistletoe is a division of athlete's foot.  
>"Hey! Where's the Christmas tree, un?" Natsuki groaned and pulled herself into a sitting position, looking about her room with a severe bed head and aching muscles.<br>"Look in the back rooms!"  
>"I have, un! I didn't find it!"<br>"I got it! It's in here with the decorations, but..."  
>"What the hell happened to our Christmas tree?"<br>"It appears to have been sacrificed to Jashin, Deidara."  
>"Not to mention it was probably dead from being stuffed in a box all year too..."<br>"So... Who's getting the new one?"  
>"<em>Kakuzu!<em>"  
>"<em>What?<em>"  
>"We want you to get our new Christmas tree."<br>"Does it cost money?"  
>"No, un."<br>"Well my answer is still no either way."  
>"It's just going out and lopping a tree down-"<br>"Ask someone else."

Natsuki yawned, only bothering to half cover her mouth. "Remind me how I got dragged into this again?"  
>"I got forced into getting the new Christmas tree and I wanted to make your life miserable."<br>"Thank-you for that sarcastic comment Kisame. I appreciate it." Natsuki playfully glared up at the man. He grinned down at her and she turned to look where she was going. Falling over would just be embarrassing. Her hand swayed freely without her cane in use and he reached out to try... just holding it. And if she didn't pull away or anything then that meant she liked him, right? Suddenly, she had dashed off and he yanked his hand back, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hey Kisame! Look at this one!" He sidled up to where she was stood, pointing at a tree.  
>"It's a little... big, don't you think?"<br>"I want to try climbing it."  
>"What? I thought we were looking for a tree?"<br>"You are, I'm not." She grinned back at him, running to the base of the tree and disappearing into its thickly-covered boughs. Needles showered the snow where she had dislodged them. Kisame shook his head and watched. A few minutes later, she popped her head out of the top of the tree. "_Hey! _Kisame, I did it!" He took out Samehada, not really wanting to use it for this purpose, and took a swing at the trunk of the tree. It wobbled dangerously and Natsuki yelped. "Kisame! Stop that, I'm gonna fall out!"  
>"I thought Itachi was training you?" He laughed back.<br>"What difference does it make?" Another swing with Samehada and the tree began to topple over. Natsuki leapt out of the branches, sprinting down the tree as fast as she could with it falling from under her feet, screaming all the way. She slammed into Kisame's chest, clinging to him until her legs stopped feeling like jelly. "Stupid shark, that was mean." She muttered.  
>"Well, let's take this tree back."<br>"And uncaring to top it all off!" He only chuckled.

"Hey! You got one, un!" Deidara grinned, running up to them. Natsuki huffed and looked away, but Kisame grinned back. Suddenly, a silver bur shot towards them. A bomb detonated and it flew into the ceiling, flopping to the ground when the smoke cleared. "Hidan?" Natsuki asked. Well, he _was_ stupid enough to fall into that kind of trap, but still... S-ranked criminal ring any bells?  
>"Don't you <em>dare<em> sacrifice our Christmas tree or I swear to God, Hidan, I will incinerate all of your spare ribs with my C4 clay! You hear me? No spare ribs for a thousand-thousand years and I'll pay Kakuzu to do the job!" Hidan slunk off after that, muttering about destroying Christmas or spare ribs. Natsuki thought he'd make a good Grinch in the future. Itachi popped his head out of the lounge, waving them over. "Bring it in here." Kisame shifted his grip and began dragging their Christmas tree through the corridor. Natsuki and Deidara followed, the latter bouncing on his heels in excitement.

Sasori looked up as a large tree suddenly entered the room, Kisame hauling it in. Natsuki made a bee-line for him, scooping up Chikakon on her way over. She sat on the floor next to him as he busied himself with a little carving. "What's up with Deidara?" She asked, eyeing the blonde skeptically. The puppet-master raised his head lazily to see what Natsuki was talking about.  
>"Oh, he always gets like this near Christmas."<br>"Okay. Why?"  
>"He said it was because they never really celebrated Christmas in Iwagakure, and we let him drink." Natsuki blinked.<br>"Really? Isn't that a tad bit dangerous?"  
>"Yeah, but we can't stop Hidan from drinking so it's only fair."<br>"Right..." Somehow Natsuki got the feeling that she was going to have to be on her guard this Christmas...

Nine hours later, no such thought was in her mind. Why? Because she and most every other member of the Akatsuki were stone-dead drunk. All but her and Hidan were so intoxicated that they had passed out on the lounge floor. Now the two were in a liquor-holding competition, trying to gain victory by drinking ever-more alcohol. It hadn't helped much that the others had been egging them on for the past half hour before passing out entirely. The only Godsent was that they hadn't turned to violence. Yet. For the moment, they were satisfied with glaring at each other between swigs of alcohol. They were in close competition, neither gaining the upper hand for long. "Ah won' lesh you bea' me you 'ashinsh-" Natsuki's head cracked against the floor.

"_Blarg..._" Natsuki threw an arm over her face, squinting up at the ceiling. Her head throbbed and felt like a swollen balloon. She didn't even know if balloons could be swollen in the first place... Two pairs of eyes looked down at her and she swatted at them. "Whaddaya want? Huh? Whadisit?" Sasori looked at Itachi, who looked back. They both looked at Natsuki.  
>"Natsuki, you are very, very drunk." Sasori stated.<br>"Severely so." Itachi added, a smirk itching at his lips.  
>"We suggest you sleep it off."<br>"Do you want help?"  
>"... Did I win?"<br>"Alright, back to bed for you."

Natsuki drifted in and out of wakefulness over the next two days, going straight back to sleep whenever she registered the pestering headache was still on her tail until finally, it faded away. Just in time for Christmas day to arrive. She honestly wouldn't have known if Deidara hadn't gone streaking through the corridors yelling it out and rubbing it in Hidan's face. She groaned, face-planting the pillow. "Shut-up Deidara..." With a heavy sigh at the sound of cursing and sacrificial terminology, she hauled herself out of bed and into the shower.

"Alright Chikakon; three, two, one..." They both wagged their tails as fast as they could, water flying out of their fur. "Damn it!" She laughed, seeing Chikakon sit down triumphantly. "Alright, you won this time, but next time you won't be so lucky!" Natsuki finished drying her tail out before changing out of her towel and into a set of her normal clothes. Yanking her damp hair into a high ponytail, they left to find everyone else.

It didn't take long to find them as they were all in the lounge. It was actually very nice, seeing as the only arguement was between Hidan and Deidara, and Deidara and Sasori. The others were finding it immensely amusing to watch Deidara try and uphold two arguements at once. Rolling her eyes, Natsuki trudged over to Itachi, sat in his armchair. Repeat, _his_. She sat beside it, letting Chikakon curl up in her crossed legs. "So what do you usually do today?"  
>"Hn?" He pulled his nose out of his book, "Oh, we usually just sit around and actually talk for once. Then when Deidara wants to, we exchange presents." Natsuki couldn't help laughing a little.<br>"Really? That seems so... normal?" Itachi only shrugged.  
>"On New Year's Eve we all drink to the new year and dress in kimonos too-"<br>"And sometimes we get to go to a festival!" Deidara interjected excitedly. Itachi promptly whacked him across the face and he fell backwards. "Ow, un!" He yelled, shooting back up. Natsuki snickered at him, safely on the other side of Itachi. "Wait..." The two of them looked over at her.  
>"What?"<br>"A minute ago, you mentioned presents..."  
>"Yes..." Itachi nodded.<br>"I've gotta go!" She leapt up, Chikakon tumbling off her lap and dashed from the room.

Natsuki skidded into her workroom, slamming the door shut behind her. _Flip! How could I _not_ think that they would exchange presents? Sure they're criminals, but I should know by now that they still act like normal people!_ She grabbed her tools and a metal pipe. _Now I have to do a rush-job on their presents, but what the hell should I make?_

Natsuki straightenned up, wiping her brow. "Phew..." All wrapped in the only plain brown paper she could find sat nine oddly-shaped presents. She scooped them all up in her arms and waddled out into the corridor as carefully as possible. She saw Kisame milling about the kitchen as she neared the lounge. "Hey!" He looked over, a beer in one hand. "Drinking already?" She cocked her head, grinning cheekily. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What've you got there?" He tipped his head to her bundle of presents.  
>"You'll find out when Deidara decides it's present time!" She let them down on the table, shaking out her arms to get the blood back in them. Her fingers tingled.<br>"Hey you two fuckers! Get in here already!" Their heads snapped up to Hidan's rash voice.  
>"Don't order me around!" She yelled, flinging a fork at his head. He ducked and let out a brash laugh.<br>"Just come in here!" Sasori smirked, waving them over. Natsuki missed the dark look flashing through Kisame's eyes. They were just stepping through the doorway when Deidara suddenly shot up, "Stop!" They froze, staring at him. A wicked grin spread across his face. "Gotcha."  
>"What?"<br>"We got ya' fuckers." Hidan pointed up and their heads craned to see what he was hinting at.

Mistletoe.

Natsuki frowned, head whipping down to glare at the two dogs named Deidara and Hidan. She knew they wouldn't let up on their tricks just because it was Christmas. Especially not because it was Christmas. "Do it! Do it! Do it!" They chanted, laughing between words. Natsuki could feel her face heating up and her brow furrowed. Kisame had turned a delicate shade of purple. "It's repulsive." She snapped, back straightening as her temper flared. "It reminds me of people's feet. I don't see why people think mistletoe is so romantic, it sounds like a division of athlete's foot." And with that said, she whirled around with a sour pout on her face and stormed away. "Hey! We just thought it'd be funny to see you kiss fish-face here!" She paused in her step at that. Fish-face? But then Kisame barked out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah you religious zealot." She carried on, Chikakon running after her.

The frigid snow numbed her feet and rendered her fingers almost unusable as she climbed up to the top of the roof. There she sat in the snow, glowering out over the naked trees and feeling the chill wind on her cheeks. Chikakon pressed himself into her side and shivered lightly. "I'm sorry Chikakon, you can go back inside if you want." He jabbed his nose into her side and she chuckled, pushing his head away. "There aren't any grasshoppers about this time of year, you should know that by now." But he didn't leave her side. She looked down at him and sighed. "Hey, guess what?" His ears perked and he looked up at her expectantly. "I learnt a new trick from one of Itachi's scrolls. I nicked it from his room a while back." She pressed her hands together in a long series of signs, maintaining the careful balance of chakra within herself. "Phoenix flower jutsu." She muttered, spheres of fire shooting from her pursed lips over the rocky ledge. Chikakon leapt to his feet, staring in wonderment at his master's talent. "Alright then." She sighed. "I think I've sulked long enough, no point in wallowing in my own embarrassment, it'll only get worse."

"Hey! She's back, un!" Natsuki huffed and glared lightly at Deidara.  
>"Shut your trap, dog." He stuck three tongues out at her, but otherwise left it at that.<br>"Can we open your presents now?" He asked eagerly, bouncing on his heels.  
>"Hmmm... I don't know about that, I mean that <em>was<em> a pretty mean trick to play on me and Kisame. I don't think I can forgive you just like that-"  
>"<em>Pleeeeaaasssssse?<em> Please, please, please I beg on m knees?" She laughed as he actually knelt at her feet. "Whatever, go ahead."  
>"<em>Yes!<em>" He leapt up, dashing into the kitchen and handing everyone's presents out. "We've been waiting forever for you, un!" He said, eyes glittering in excitement as he placed nine presents in front of her before moving on to giving Itachi his pile of presents. "Really? I'm sorry-"  
>"Don't be." Sasori smiled lightly. "A bit of patience wouldn't do him any harm."<br>"Hey Hidan, want your presents, un?"  
>"Just give 'em to me you fucking arsonist terrorist brat of a-"<br>"Oh, but I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas?" Deidara teased, waving Hidan's presents above him.  
>"Christmas ain't about fucking presents as far as I heard asshole, they're just an added benefit so hand the fucking things over!"<br>"Pfft! No way in- _Hey, un!_"  
>"Ha! You let your fucking guard down-" Natsuki rolled her eyes and zoned out of their arguement. She instead cast her attentions to the range of presents sat before her. Some were wrapped delicately and with intricate care; others were more shoddily wrapped, as if the hands had fumbled or weren't too bothered with appearances.<p>

She picked up the smallest present first, turning it in her hands before carefully peeling the lilac wrapping apart. A small box rested in her palm and she opened it to find a little fox figurine, a polished version of the one that Natsuki had seen Sasori carving ages ago. She showed it to Chikakon whilst thanking Sasori. He in turn thanked her for the expertly hand-crafted knife that she had made for him. It would be perfect for placing the finer details on his masterpieces and he promised to take special care of it.

Moving on to the next present, she found it was a sapling of a plant. A bamboo to be exact. It was easy to guess that it had been from Zetsu. She smiled at it, swiping it away from Chikakon when he tried to eat it. He shoved the next present into her hand with his nose and she rubbed between his ears. It was a messily wrapped one and if she had to bet, she'd say it was from Hidan. And what a surprise she found. "Hidan!"  
>"Wha-at?" A severed hand suddenly thonked him on the head and all was said. She scrunched up the wrapping paper carefully and threw it into the kitchen, moving on.<p>

Itachi had gotten her a book called '_Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_' by some guy named Jiraiya whilst Deidara had given a lump of clay that, when she opened the present, he detonated and streamers went everywhere. That had given her quite the surprise, but she didn't mind too much. The woman she had seen attending her battles when she first joined the Akatsuki, the only other female in this organisation to her knowledge, had given her a pretty origami flower, but she wasn't there so Natsuki couldn't thank her for it. Pein, she had never had an inkling of a thought that he might actually participate in the festivities, but her had. He had given her a scroll on the types of jutsu. She rolled her eyes at it, but upon reading the first section, found it quite interesting. Kakuzu had also given her book, but it was much older than Itachi's gift and she felt that she needed to wrap it in swathes of velvet just to keep it safe. But then she came to the last present. It was wrapped all in silvery-blue paper and she opened it gently, not wanting to rip it. She snorted, trying not to laugh. Kisame looked over at her, a smirk tugging at one side of his lips. She pulled out a huge scarf, wrapping it around her neck. It covered from her neck to her nose and wrapped around three times, still with long loose ends. She stood up and spun in it, whipping Hidan in the face accidentally-on-purpose. He yelled, hurling a paper ball at her. The scarf deflected it and she threw one of her own paper snowballs at him. "Paper fight!" Deidara yelled, screams and yells filling the room as people tried to avoid being hit.

**Oh... I'm so sorry, I was late again! And it didn't even turn out that good...  
>Anyways... Dr. Suess is a ninja O.O<strong>

**Next time in Weapons Dealer... Chapter Sixteen: Festivities.**

_"S- stop it Kisame. You're drunk, please..."_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Festivities.  
>"Hey! Has anyone seen my hair tie?" Deidara yelled through the maze of halls. "Come on guys, who hid it?"<br>"Deidara. It's in your hand."  
>"Shut-up weasel-face!"<br>"You should be thanking me, I just saved you a lot of time and effort and even more of your dignity-" Natsuki rolled her eyes from within the safety of her room, carefully tying her hair back into a high ponytail. She swished her tail about beneath her thick winter kimono. It felt weird not having hakama on. Looking back into the mirror, she saw determination glint in her eyes and laughed. What was she doing? She was pulling faces in the mirror again as if she were still a little kid. Sadness washed over her and she held back a sigh, looking back at Chikakon instead. He sat patiently for her by the closed door. "Alright, sorry I took so long, let's go!"

They ran into Kisame and Itachi on the way to entrance of the base and she grinned at them. "Hey!" They looked up at her, both in their own thick winter kimonos. Itachi's was a stoic navy colour, which didn't surprise her, whilst Kisame's was a rich blue decorated with silhouetted waterlilies. "That kimono doesn't detract from your manliness at all." Natsuki stated cheekily.  
>"Shut up, it's the only one I had." That brought a smirk to her face. He gave her an unimpressed look. "Come on, let's just go." He placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her gently in front of him. She had the scarf on that he had given her and was dressed in a lilac winter kimono with a deep violet michiyuki over the top. Chikakon was ever-present by her side. They wound their way through the halls to the entrance where Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan already stood. "We're just waiting for Deidara now." Sasori huffed, rapping his fingers against his arm. He was clad in a purple winter kimono with no patterning on the fabric. Kakuzu was in a deep fir green kimono with barely visible rectangles and squares dyed into the weave of the fabric and Hidan was in a burgundy one, standing there begrudgingly. "Hey, un!" Deidara suddenly ran up to them, waving with a plain brown winter kimono on. His hair was tied in a messy low ponytail and he was grinning.<br>"Let's go already!" Sasori huffed, rolling his eyes at his partner.

They made their way into a small town nearby where a festival was being held to celebrate the new year. Deidara immediately ran off into the bustling crowd, dragging Sasori along behind him. Hidan wanted to go to the spare ribs stand, so he left the miser behind so he could actually eat something. That left Itachi, Kisame, Natsuki and Kakuzu behind. "Let's go to the Goldfish Scooping!" She said, eagerly dragging Kisame along. Itachi smiled at the two of them and Kakuzu rolled his eyes. People milled around the stall, watching their children and friends try to scoop out goldfish. A small child in a dirty yukata crouched at the side of the tub, watching with wide glistening eyes. "You want a go, young missy?" The stall owner cried jovially, catching Natsuki's attention. She nodded, giddiness rising inside her as he handed her a poi and a bowl in exchange for the few ryo she had brought along with her. "What about you, sirs? Would you like a try at this? It's harder than it looks!" Kakuzu turned his head away, huffing as the man laughed at his response. Itachi and Kisame crouched next to Natsuki though, handing over some of their money. "Come on, I'm beating you here!" Natsuki laughed as Kisame fumbled to catch a goldfish. Suddenly, Itachi struck like lightning from out of nowhere. Three fish swam around his bowl in a daze. The stall owner barked out a laugh, clapping Itachi on the back, which certainly surprised him. "You did good son, but..." His eyes fell to the poi in Itachi's hand, "If you want to play more, then you're going to have to pay for a new poi!" Itachi looked sullenly at the torn paper. He handed the poi and the bowl back to the stall owner. "Thank-you for allowing me to play." The man blinked, then laughed.  
>"Don't you like fish or sommat?"<br>"I do, but we are not permitted to keep pets where we live." The man nodded knowingly. Then his sights set on Natsuki and Kisame, still in hot competition.  
>"Ahah!" She yelled, a goldfish landing in her bowl. Kisame looked over.<br>"You're too good at this." He stated, pretending to be miffed with her. She bumped his shoulder.  
>"No~ You're just really bad at it!" The paper suddenly ripped. "What? Aw..." Kisame and Kakuzu laughed at her. "S- shut-up! At least I got a fish!" Something tugged on her sleeve and she looked down. The child in the dirty yukata stared up at her. "Hey, you like fish?" They nodded slightly, their navy eyes big and bright compared to their dirty face. "Then here, have this one. I can't keep it anyway, Chikakon here would eat it." Chikakon turned from eyeing the fish hungrily. The child patted his head warily as the stall owner took Natsuki's poi and bowl, transferred the fish to a plastic bag and handed it to the kid. "Thank-you lady!" They laughed, scuttling off. Natsuki waved happily after them.<p>

"I'm hungry." Natsuki stated, dragging the three men through the crowds of bustling people.  
>"Really? So that obnoxious grumbling <em>wasn't<em> your stomach?"  
>"Kakuzu, if you want to buy your own food that badly then just say so." He growled at her, but refrained from snapping back. Free food was good food. They wandered around the food stalls for a while, bickering playfully over what to eat. Kakuzu kept suggesting shark-fin soup. Natsuki didn't know he had such a wry sense of humour, though Kisame didn't appreciate it at the time. They settled on yakitori eventually and even bought some bebi kasutera between them for afterwards. They milled around after that, flitting from stall to stall, investigating anything that took their fancy until they bumped into Deidara and Hidan trying their hand at goldfish scooping. Sasori sidled over to them, bored as usual. "Kakuzu, come and collect your idiot before he sacrifices everybody here." The taller man sighed at the thought of exerting energy on behalf of his baka of a partner, but hauled the zealot away despite his uncensored rantings. Sasori grabbed Deidara by the ear and led him away too. "Let's go, this festival is getting tiresome." Natsuki pouted and she saw Chikakon's ears droop, but they followed anyway.<p>

"Hey! Who broke out the beer whilst we were gone, un?" Deidara yelled, head whipping around the trashed lounge.  
>"Well, there's nothin' for it, we gotta drink the rest of this fucking stuff before any of those other bitches do!" Natsuki cringed at the thought of alcohol. She didn't think she could survive another hangover like the last one. "You guys go ahead, I'll clean up a little..." Yeah, that was a good excuse. Cleaning up would give her enough time for the other to get drunk and then she could leave without them teasing her in the morning about being a coward for not drinking with them. So as they opened up their drinks and sat down to poke fun at each other, Natsuki made her way around the kitchen and lounge, picking up past-discarded bottles and glasses, wiping down surfaces and doing a little washing-up before making her hasty escape.<p>

Natsuki heard the door click open a few hours later and someone stumble in. _I swear to God Hidan, if that's you so drunk off your head that you can't even find your own room... _She sat up, dragging herself out from under the quilts and wrapping her yukata even tighter around her as she approached the intruder. A calloused hand brushed against her cheek and she jolted, fists clenching. "Na'shuki?" Her hands relaxed. It was only Kisame. "Kisame, you're in the wrong room, come on-" He suddenly spun her around and her back bumped against the wall. "Na'shuki I'va got ssommat t' say-" His hands brushed against her waist and he leaned closer, the stench of alcohol pervading the air. Natsuki pushed at his chest, turning away desperately. "S- stop it Kisame. You're drunk, please..." She took a sharp intake of breath, hoping it would give her more strength. "K- Kisame! Why are you being so rash?" His eyes slowly slid shut and she pressed her lips in a tight line, trying not to panic. His head abruptly thudded against the wall beside her. She let out a heavy sigh, heart pounding in her chest. Her hand came up to rest on his head. "_What am I to do with you?_" She whispered into the dark.

Kisame rolled over. His back rubbing against someone else woke him up immediately and he let out a low groan, rubbing his temples. Looking to his side, he found a peaceful Natsuki fast asleep next to him. She turned, curling up against his side for warmth. His face burned a vivid purple, but he gently lay back down, closing his eyes against his pounding headache. Natsuki stirred and grumbled under her breath. She reached up and tugged at his hair. "If you're awake then go back to your own bed you big lump." He sighed and sat up, a cold metal chain dangling from his neck. Natsuki turned onto her back and swatted at the pendant, a shark after a koi embedded in a small metal plate. "I can't believe you're actually wearing that." She mumbled, still half asleep. He shrugged and slid out from under the quilt, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, um..." He didn't turn to look at her.  
>"What?"<br>"What... happened last night?" Natsuki snorted and he turned to glare at her. "Just tell me."  
>"Ch. Let's just say that next time your get so drunk off your head that you collapse against my wall, don't expect me to lend my bed out to you. You weigh a flipping ton." She flopped back onto her side, back facing him. Kisame shook his head. Good, nothing weird happened then. He didn't see the scarlet blush colouring Natsuki's cheeks.<p>

**Very short, but on time, but short.**  
><strong>The question is though... <em>Who<em>broke out the beer whilst everyone else what at the festival? I really have no idea, but it'll be fun to think about anyway... Let the competition... begin!**

**.**

**Next time in Weapons Dealer... Chapter Seventeen: Three Months.**

_She did _not_ want to be stuck by herself in the middle of nowhere with one: a religious zealot who not only hated her, but sacrificed people for fun; and two: a miser who would get so pissed off with her and Hidan arguing that he'd probably kill her and lop Hidan into thousands of little pieces for the rest of the mission._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Three months.  
>"Natsuki,"<br>"..._Yes,_ Leader-sama?" The man glared.  
>"I am sending you on a mission with Hidan and Kakuzu. It will take at least two months at best," Something in his voice made Natsuki think that he knew it would take longer. "You will be leaving tomorrow."<br>"_Fine._" She did _not_ want to be stuck by herself in the middle of nowhere with one: a religious zealot who not only hated her, but sacrificed people for fun; and two: a miser who would get so pissed off with her and Hidan arguing that he'd probably kill her and lop Hidan into thousands of little pieces for the rest of the mission. _Oh the joys..._

"..."

"..." Kakuzu watched passively on the side-lines at the two people glaring daggers at each other. Natsuki's fox - Kakuzu didn't care for names of insignificant animals - was growling at Hidan with about the same amount of menace as a mouse. "Get a move on already." He muttered, turning and stalking away from them. Natsuki heard him and pulled herself away from the glaring match, whacking Hidan in the nose before he could gloat his victory. She nuzzled her face further into her scarf and trudged after him, her feet already soaked to the bone thanks to the thick blanket of snow covering the ground. Luckily for her, Sasori had taught her how to store items in scrolls before they had left, so she wasn't lugging any heavy bags around for the trip. "Hurry up mutt-brain!" Natsuki yelled over her shoulder, the sooner they were all moving, the quicker she would warm up and the less time she would have to spend on this mission.

The road wasn't silent as they travelled unfortunately. It _would_ have been, if only Hidan could keep his big trap shut, but no. That was an impossibility. And so, the day dragged on and on and Natsuki's wet feet, frozen as ever, didn't lighten her mood. She wanted to stop and turn back before the first day was even over. Kakuzu was a slave-driver of a teammate; he didn't stop for breaks, he'd yell and snap every half hour or so (though Natsuki couldn't blame him entirely for that) and he was so stingy that he openly told her that they would be sleeping out in the snow that night instead of in a dirt-cheap hotel when she had asked where they would be staying for the night. She wished with all her might that Hidan wasn't immortal aswell. Then not only would she had already have beheaded him once and he would be out of her hair, but he would have already died thirty-seven times during the journey too. There would have been peace and quiet and Natsuki wouldn't constantly feel like committing suicide.

She had to give it to Hidan though, the day passed by quicker with him ranting. Some of the things he said held some entertainment for her and without him there, there would just be an awkward silence between her and Kakuzu. She hated awkward silences; it felt like she had to say something, as if it were her duty or something like that to make conversation. It could become stressful to say the least. It was thanks to Hidan, therefore, that Kakuzu was occupied that night arguing with him about money and religion and that any whiff of an awkward silence was dispelled. Natsuki was able to curl herself up against the cave wall, warmed by the fire, and drift off into a light slumber with few troubles. Chikakon was staying on guard too, reassuring her that any sneak attack launched by Hidan could be easily avoided.

Natsuki grunted when a foot jabbed into her ribs, flipping her onto her back roughly. "Get up." She sighed, cracking her eyes open. Kakuzu glared down at her. "Five more-"  
>"No."<br>"You didn't even let me-"  
>"Get up."<br>"Stupid stitch-man." She threw a rock at him, but it missed and he walked away. She wished Kisame and Itachi were here. Kisame would carry her and neither of them would try to kill her. She got up before Kakuzu lost his temper with her and checked that she had everything. She did. Chikakon trotted up to her, but she didn't pick him up. After yesterday's full day of walking she was exhausted and she didn't think she'd cope well with another day like that. Carrying a fox on top of that would kill her. "Come on." Kakuzu growled out. Hidan shouted something at him, but Natsuki wasn't paying much attention. Where were they even going anyway? Why? To do what? She traipsed out of the cave, only half-listening to Hidan and Kakuzu winding each-other up. Maybe she'd ask stitch-man once he'd had a chance to calm down...

As it turned out, Kakuzu didn't get a chance to calm down for three weeks. Teaching her how to release the seal on her scrolls annoyed him even further and since Hidan rarely left them for more than five minutes, it was impossible for him wind down for even a second. It was like the man never got any sleep either. He'd be awake when she fell asleep and he'd be awake when she woke up. In the few breaks she and Hidan managed to beg and curse out of him, he didn't even take any naps. He was like a machine, only concentrating on money and getting the mission over with. Natsuki couldn't even begin to comprehend how he was still on his feet. She sighed. She really wanted to know what this mission was... It mustn't be too important though, otherwise she would have been filled in on it by now. "Hey old fart!" Hidan, of course. Eloquent as always. Natsuki could hardly bare his company any longer. "Let's stop for the night already! I'm fucking tired!" Kakuzu let out a heavy sigh, turning to his two bedraggled teammates and the fox. They were all so weak. "...Fine." He turned off the road and they fought their way through the trees until they reached a space big enough for them all to camp without being so close as to cause arguements. Natsuki happily flopped on the ground. "Hey bitch! Get off your arse and do something for once!"  
>"For once? I always do something to help set up camp! You're always the lazy one, you do something for a change!" She threw a stick in Hidan's direction, running a hand through her hair when he grumbled off somewhere. At least all the walking had extracted most of the fight out of him. Releasing the seal on one of her scrolls, she brought out a thick blanket to ward against the frosty ground and wrapped herself up in it tightly. Kakuzu and Hidan returned shortly after with armfuls of sticks and tinder for a fire and set it up, but she had already drifted off into a cozy slumber by the time it was lit.<p>

Kisame exhaled slowly, looking away from the campsite down below. Itachi perched on a branch next to him. "This is getting ridiculous." He murmured. Kisame shut his eyes, a slight frown forming on his face.  
>"Why are you here Itachi?"<br>"No, the question is why are _you_ spying on Natsuki?"  
>"I'm making sure nothing happens to her, why are you following me?"<br>"I'm your teammate, it's my job to make sure you don't do something stupid."  
>"Well I'm not, so..."<br>"Look, we both want Natsuki to stay safe, but you don't see me stalking her, do you?" Kisame growled,  
>"What are you trying to say?" He didn't want anyone else looking after Natsuki but him. He was being selfish, he knew, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted to be her only protector. "I'm trying to say that I'm very close to Natsuki," Itachi saw how his companion's fist clenched. "We're what most people call friends, but I'm not looking over her shoulder all the time whereas you are. Whenever you have the chance or the spare time, you're off trying to find her. If you like her that much, stop following her around and man-up." He stood, leaping into the darkness. Kisame glared after him and once again, he was reminded of how much Itachi talked when he was annoyed. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the camp far below. Kakuzu was sat staring into the fire, Hidan's head lopped off and gagged in a tree, his body sat up against the trunk. Natsuki was on the other side of the fire, fast asleep with Chikakon curled up on top of her. He knew the little fox wasn't actually sleeping, but he humoured him; he was just trying to protect his master. It stung that the fox was able to protect Natsuki better than he could.<p>

"So what _is_ this mission exactly?" Natsuki managed through a mouthful of raw chives and other wild herbs. It was a sparse breakfast.  
>"Taking out more of Orochimaru's men." Kakuzu grumbled, chewing mindlessly. He was finally in a respectable mood, what with Hidan being gagged in a tree and separated from his body. "A town has employed some of that snake's men to protect their mines from bandits. We've no idea why he'd let his men out for such a trivial cause, which is something you'll probably be sent to find out." Natsuki didn't like the sound of that. Kakuzu chuckled and she realised the face she was pulling must have been more exaggerated than she had intended. He flicked an acorn at her over the low fire. It bounced off her nose and she tossed it back. He caught it and sent her a mocking remark just to wind her up. "Let's get going anyway." She grumbled childishly.<br>"Oh, so I take that as you willingly accepting a day of walking?"  
>"N-"<br>"Yes, yes, I understand. No breaks, that can be easily arranged." He smiled to himself as he turned to pick up Hidan's head and body.  
>"Kakuzu! Where'd <em>that<em> come from! I didn't say I didn't want any breaks, come _on!_ I'm dying here, don't make we walk all day _again!_"  
>"Oh but Natsuki, this is what you wanted wasn't it?"<br>"No, so- _Hey!_ How come _he_ gets to be carried?!"

Two weeks gradually slipped past with the group of three with added fox journeying from town to town over miles and miles. Natsuki and Chikakon saw many new things, but they didn't get to look in awe and wonderment for long before they were dragged back to the road. It was hard, she knew that after her first day on this mission, but she was slowly building her strength and stamina up. She didn't feel like collapsing every night now and her muscles stopped screaming in pain every morning. She would even go as far as to say that her leg was getting stronger. She didn't need her cane as often as before and she could run around and bounce on her heels without receiving shooting pains that raced through her nerves. But with every passing day, they got closer and closer to their destination. Kakuzu and Hidan talked about it more and more around the fire at night. Kakuzu said that they'd probably meet all-out war if Orochimaru had talked to the townsfolk. Hidan seemed to revel in that, a sadistic grin coming to his face and a mad glint in his eye each time he described just how he'd kill some of the people. It made Natsuki feel sick. There must be a reason behind the townsfolk employing men of Orochimaru, mustn't there? They must be innocent, there was no reason to kill them. Sure, sacrifice the snake's men to Jashin or turn them in to the Collection Offices, do whatever to them, it was the consequences of their actions. Their evil deeds. But the townsfolk... they probably hadn't even heard of Orochimaru before. Natsuki didn't like the idea of killing innocents. It was too much like... like what happened years ago. Even though it happened over a decade ago, it was still so clear and vivid in her memory. Sometimes, when it came to her in her nightmares, she would be fooled into thinking she was there again, seeing it all, feeling it all once more.

Her thoughts and feelings where of no use to the Akatsuki though and she kept them to herself, even when they arrived at their destination.

The town was much smaller than Konohagakure, but at the same time, it wasn't some piddly village. From up on small hill where she, Hidan, Kakuzu and Chikakon were looking down on it from between the trees, Natsuki could see the dusty, sandy ground it was built on, a gaping hole in the rock face protecting the town's back. _That must be the mine..._ She thought to herself, shielding her eyes from the blazing sun and feeling a bead of sweat trickle down her temple. Winter definitely hadn't reached here and she wondered if they were in the Land of Wind, where Sunagakure was. "What's the plan of action then?" She asked, taking a quick glance at Kakuzu and Hidan. Hidan didn't seem to bothered about anything, he just tested his grip on his scythe, a maniacal shine in his eyes. Kakuzu, crouched in the shade of a tree with his forearms resting on his thighs, didn't turn away from analyzing the settlement below them. It took him a moment to answer. "You go in and scout it out for us. Orochimaru doesn't know of your joining the Akatsuki yet." Natsuki knew he wasn't one-hundred percent certain of that though. "Find out everything you can about that snake's men and what they're doing here, report back within three days and whatever you do, remain inconspicuous. Leave the fox here." That last 'request' made a frown form on Natsuki's face, but she complied begrudgingly and checked for the spanner hidden in the folds of her top. Still there. "See you in three days then." She said, making her way down the hill. The thought of her lodgings for the next two nights almost made her stop and ask Kakuzu for money, but she thought better of it and hastened her pace. She didn't want to incur his wrath.

_Where to start, where to start..._ Natsuki wondered, looking about herself as she traipsed through the town. _The mines perhaps? Or maybe the market? _She'd have to steal food, she realised unhappily, wishing that somebody had taught how to perform a transformation jutsu. Deidara, Itachi and Kisame could do it, that she was certain of. She understood Deidara not teaching her, but Itachi _was_ her sensei of a sorts and Kisame was her closest companion, so why not? A transformation jutsu would have allowed her to steal food that much easier right? Especially if she could turn into something like a... hawk! Yeah, a hawk. Was that even possible? She shook her head, trying to focus on her mission. _Gathering information._ She reminded herself, finally deciding to just wander around and see if anything out of the ordinary was going on, something that she could ask about like an innocent passerby, not as a spy. _Inconspicuous._

"That bitch had better not fuck up." Hidan spat out, shuffling in his spot and pulling his cloak tighter around himself; Kakuzu hadn't let him build a fire even after it went dark. "She won't fail." The masked nin said. By the looks of it, he was meditating. Hidan huffed, itching to do something, to break the silence, _anything_. His thoughts went to Natsuki's little rat and he grinned, looking around for it. Nowhere. "Where the fuck did that little rat go?!" He yelled, kicking a tree and sending splinters of it flying through the other side. Kakuzu opened an eye begrudgingly,  
>"What crawled up your arse <em>this<em> time?"  
>"What crawled up <em>your <em>arse you mean, bloody miser. That little orange rat's gone!" 'It's a fox'. Kakuzu wanted to correct, but right now, they had to figure out where it went. It probably ran off to find Natsuki, which was bad. People would notice a girl with a fox by her side. But if the fox had run off and didn't return before Natsuki got back... Kakuzu kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. This was just what he wanted to avoid. "Hidan, it was your turn to watch the fox, therefore its disappearance is your fault. Go find it."  
>"What?! Bastard, no way in hell!"<br>"Do it Hidan or I won't let you sacrifice anybody!" The Jashinist sneered, but stalked into the trees.

Natsuki's head whipped up at the sound of soft pitter-patter footsteps coming towards her from the roof next to the one she was sat on. She heard the rush of air and more pitter-patter footsteps. She squinted into the dark, feeling the chakra swirl in the pit of her stomach. She raised her hands, ready to perform a jutsu. A quiet bark, familiar to her ears, made her lower her hands. "Chikakon?" The little orange fox bounded up to her, pushing his face into her side, front paws on her knee. She held in a giggle and picked him up. She hushed him before he could bark again, pointing to the roof they were sat on. He cocked his head. "They're are people inside, we don't want to wake them." She whispered and pressed a finger to her lips to make sure he got what she was saying. His ears perked and a distinctly fox-like grin pulled at his face. She shook her head fondly and pulled out one of the scrolls from in the folds of her top. She undid the seal, flinching at the 'poofing' sound, loud in the night. A blanket fell from the scroll along with her scarf. She stroked it fondly before deftly wrapping it around her neck and covering Chikakon and herself with the blanket. Despite the heat of the day, it was incredibly cold at night. She almost chuckled to herself, Kakuzu probably hadn't let hidan build a fire. Closing her eyes, she thought back on what she had managed to discover.

Orochimaru's men were definitely protecting the mines. She had seen several sound-nin milling around at the mines' mouth and had even managed to see a few inside it aswell. It didn't stop there though. When she went to the market to inquire about them, she had found more dotted around the place. It had put her on edge. She had thought there weren't any, but it was like when you got a toy boat from somebody, suddenly you were seeing boats all of the time and everybody seemed to have a toy boat too. In this case, Orochimaru's men were the toy boats. Natsuki frowned to herself, suddenly wary of dropping her guard by sleeping. Even though her eyes remained lightly closed, her body lax as if in the depths of the dream world, she didn't sleep a wink.

~:~

Natsuki frowned and pursed her lips, dipping back behind the corner of the tent. Chikakon crouched behind her ankles, his nose twitching. He had led her here, to the large tent erected outside the mines. Usually, rubble and dirt would have been inside it she guessed, but when she peeked through the back folds, what she saw were explosives. Now, that wasn't too surprising, considering they had to make a mine _somehow_, right? What horrified her though, was the amount of weaponry piled up next to it. No pickaxes or shovels, actual weapons. Swords and kunai, maces and bludgeons. Even axes. The thought at what Orochimaru's men needed with them made a lump stick in her throat. She gulped hard, trying to swallow it. She tried to formulate some sort of plan, tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Orochimaru had let out his men to guard this town's mines from bandits, that she already knew. His men had weapons and explosives. Were they for them to use, or for the townspeople and miners? Did the people here know bout them? Were they in this too? Was Orochimaru trying to kill everybody here? No, he would have done it already otherwise. Maybe this town served some sort of purpose, maybe it was useful in his plans - whatever they were. Natsuki just didn't know, she couldn't think straight. There were too many possibilities leading to too many solutions. But then she calmed down, tried to slow her thundering heart. She opened and closed her clammy fists and let out a long, slow breath. All she had to remember was that she was just the scout, the spy. She didn't have to figure these things out, that was Kakuzu's job. All she had to do was count up the snake's men, where they were and what they did. What they carried, their strengths and weaknesses. Hidan and Kakuzu were going to launch an attack either way, she knew that was a certainty. Retreating back from the tent, she and Chikakon ran away. She tried to keep a clear head, what she had to do was quite simple now. All she had to do was find out the number they were up against, calculate an average strength from that and note where the bulk of the forces were, where the rest were and then that was it, they'd have the information needed to launch an attack. Her stomach lurched as they ran, she knew a lot of innocents were to die.

~:~

"Little rat!" Hidan screeched, jabbing a finger at Chikakon as the little fox and Natsuki emerged through the trees. Kakuzu grabbed the Jashinist's shoulder and held him back. A few choice words silenced him. "What did you find out?" Kakuzu asked Natsuki. She blew air through her nostrils, looking to the side.  
>"There are fifty of Orochimaru's men in the town. Twenty guarding the mines outside, ten inside. The other twenty are dotted around the town. Most are in the market though." She gave her two teammates a moment to digest the information, though they probably didn't need the time. "Also, outside the mines is a tent. There are tons of explosives and a variety of weapons hidden inside. I don't know what they're for though." Her lack of knowledge brought a frown to Kakuzu's face and she grimaced, hoping he wouldn't lash out. "We'll just have to keep one of them alive then." He finally growled out in that same deep, rough tone he always used. Hidan huffed, "So long as I get to sacrifice the rest of them to Jashin."<br>"We already talked about this, half of them go to the collection office."  
>"No fucking way! They <em>always <em>go to the collection office! Why the fuck do you always get your way, huh?!"  
>"Your rituals take to long and time is money." Kakuzu gritted out, "Let's just get this over and done with." Hidan looked about to yell out a couple of insults, but then decided against it and kept his trap shut for once.<br>"Hidan, you and I will take out the snake's men at the mines. Natsuki, you will take care of the rest of the men. Kill them all, is that clear? If a citizen sees you, kill them too. Nobody is to know that you are in the Akatsuki, Leader-sama's orders." Natsuki bit her lip, wincing as she drew blood. Killing innocents... that made her just like those people, the ones who came to her in nightmares. She didn't want to give that horror to anybody else, but what if she said no? What if she refused to kill any of the citizens? She cringed outwardly at the memory of what Leader-sama did to her the last time she 'ran away'. The ordeal had left faint scars tracing across her once immaculate skin. She didn't want to go through such pain and humiliation again, but at the same time... Was that really a good enough reason to kill? She had never... actually killed someone before. Let alone an innocent. "Come on Natsuki!" Kakuzu growled out and she suddenly realised that he and Hidan were already making their way down the hill. She gulped, about to protest, but the words stuck in her dry throat and she followed sullenly after. Chikakon whined and followed at her heels. _I know Chikakon, I know._

Screams laced the air, erupting all around the town. Explosions abused Natsuki's sensitive ears and she lashed her tail about agitatedly. Hidan and Kakuzu had already started. Biting her lip, reopening the wound from only moments before, Natsuki realised now that it was too late to protest and back out. With all of her muscles quaking and twitching, she looked about her. The market was in a frenzy. Panicked parents, children, children's children. They all ran screaming whilst in their midst the predators lurked. Her, Natsuki Suzuhara, and Orochimaru's lackeys. She spotted a few dashing off in the direction of the mines. A thick, guttural growl tore from deep in her throat and she kicked off after them, sending chakra to her feet. In her confused state, she left gaping wounds in the ground. "_Phoenix flower jutsu!_" She yelled out, catching the snake's men in bouts of fire. They cried out and some fell, writhing to the ground. Others dodged, some turned to face her. In the corner of her eye, she could see an old craftsman screaming on the floor, his haori alight with flames. She wanted to run and save him, help him, and having to tear herself away from him and face her opponents forced bile to the back of her mouth. _I'm sorry._

Suddenly, a sword slashed at her neck. She stumbled back with barely a millimetre to spare. Chikakon snarled and leapt at the man, instantly growing in size to tear him apart. Natsuki couldn't bear to watch. She turned to see a second and third attacker converge on her. But she soon realised that was nothing. Her hours and days, weeks and months spent training and sparring with Itachi weren't for nothing. Combinations of punches, kicks, elbows and knees, jutsu and the slashing of fervent blades were all so easily dodged, even when she was outnumbered. Slipping between a blow to the head and slash to the gut, she got behind the two men, killing one instantly with a hard elbow to the neck, hearing the bone crack and break. The other she set alight with a close-range fireball jutsu. She heard more than just the one scream. By the time she had dealt with those two though, Chikakon and leapt through the crowds of people, seeking out more of Orochimaru's men. Each one he saw, he tore apart mercilessly. Natsuki leapt up onto the roof of a building, her eyes clouding over as she stared at all the people crashing around in terror. They didn't know what was happening, what to do, nothing. Yet they unintentionally shielded Orochimaru's men. "Chikakon!" Natsuki yelled over the din of more explosions and yells. He leapt over the people, crushing the tiles of the roof as he landed. "_GREAT FIREBALL JUTSU!"_ Even as she said those words, performed the last of the hand signs, felt the chakra stir in her gut, she regretted them. She wanted to haul it all back. But she couldn't. In an instant, fire raged through the streets, across the entire market. It had been her mission, right? What Kakuzu had meant by keep her joining the Akatsuki a secret, was to incinerate every single person in this town. Somehow she had known that subconsciously and that, coupled with her need to eradicate every single one of the snake's men, had made her do... _this._ And as the last of the smoke drifted away with the wind, Natsuki realised just what '_this_' was.

'_This_' was complete and utter destruction. It wrenched at her gut and the bile rose to the back of her mouth again, yet she swallowed it down. Chikakon pressed his large muzzle to her side and she flung her arms around his neck, fingers curling and entangling themselves in the thick fur. She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened to spill over. "W- what ha- have I jus-st done?!" She cried, pressing her head into him and screaming. She screamed and screamed and screamed until her breaths came labored and she couldn't keep herself from shaking. But still she kept the tears from showing. Chikakon slowly returned to his normal size and she picked him up. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..._

_~:~_

Natsuki, Hidan, Kakuzu and Chikakon all trudged down the path, their feet crunching in the light frost coating the ground. One of Orochimaru's men was slung over Kakuzu's shoulder, a bitter reminder of what had gone on that day. Once they had all met up afterwards, Hidan covered in blood, Kakuzu had told Natsuki that she should be glad the battle only lasted part of the day. If their adversary had been stronger or more in number, they could have been battling for weeks. At the time though, Natsuki couldn't appreciate that. Her heart was too heavy and full of guilt. Now though, after week upon week of walking, the stabbing pain she felt with every glance over at the half-dead body had turned to a dull pang. The deed was done, even though deep down, Natsuki knew that her cowardice, her inability to protest and say no, had lead to the deaths of so many people.

All of that left her mind though when they neared the Akatsuki base.

Stood in front of the lake, she recognised a familiar shock of navy hair, the light blue skin and strong, wide shoulders. A grin rode across her face. Separating from Hidan and Kakuzu, who were too busy arguing to notice, she sprinted towards the person, feeling the excitement rising in her chest. "Kisame!" He turned around, eyes widening as she flung herself into his chest, arms wrapping around his muscled neck. He stumbled back, arms only just catching her. "N- Natsuki?" A violet blush crossed his cheeks and she pulled away, her heart pounding and eyes glittering with elation. "What was that for-"  
>"Because I missed you of course!" She laughed, poking him in the gills. He jerked back rubbing his cheek. It only made her laugh more. "That and three months of Hidan and Kakuzu can really do a number on someone." He chuckled, a cocky grin tugging at his lips,<br>"You can say that again."

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><p><strong>Louise: I'm glad you thought CH15 was fun!<strong>

**ForASunsetsRise, you were the only one to enter the competition in CH16, so you win... Nothing. There was no prize, sorry ^^;**

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><p><strong>I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so damned sorry! I'm writing CH18 now!<br>Please tell me is Kisame is too non-Kisame/sounds STUPID.**

**COMPETITION TIME!  
>I like holding competitions a lot, so here it is:<br>Every chapter, give me the name of a song that you think suited that chapter best, either PM it to me or write it in a review.  
>If I think your entry suited the best, you win that round. I will contact you (either through PM or in the AN of the next chapter) if you have won.  
>If you have won, then here's your prize: You can request a one-shot related to Weapons Dealer that I will write for you. After I have written up five winner's one-shots, I will post them as an 'extra chapter'.<strong>

**The best part is you could go completely against the plot! Like have... NatsukixHidan or yaoi or whatever, I don't know!  
>I won't write hentaiexplicit/lemons though. That's a no-no. Weapons Dealer is rated T after all.**

**The competition will run until Weapons Dealer ends and you can only enter one song per chapter per person.  
>Over and Out ._\.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Hydrophobia.  
>"What?"<br>"You'll be taking a few lessons with Kisame from now on." Itachi repeated himself. It was becoming quite a common thing for him to do around Natsuki. "What _kind_ of lessons?" She asked suspiciously.  
>"Swimming." That one word sent chills down her spine. That meant going in the water.<br>"I don't want to." She immediately said, perhaps too rushed. Itachi's slight frown told her that she wasn't winning this one, like usual.  
>"Most everybody has noticed your aversion and reaction to water. It's too severe a weakness for us to ignore, I want you to work on it. Kisame won't let anything bad happen to you, so don't fret over it." Natsuki blew through her nose, not looking the Uchiha in the eye. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? "For now though, I want you to tell me where my scroll on the phoenix flower jutsu is." Natsuki laughed nervously, so he noticed?<p>

Natsuki froze when there came a knock at her door. She inched over to it, cracking it open and peeking through. Kisame gave her a weird look, shifting Samehada on his back. "What're you-" She slammed the door in his face.  
>"I'm not doing it!"<br>"Doing what- you mean swimming?"  
>"I said I won't do it!" She shouted through the door, leaning her full body weight against it just in case he tried to force it open.<br>"You can't just- Natsuki, come on; Itachi did say this was part of your training, didn't he?"  
>"I don't care about training, I'm not getting in the water!" She heard a heavy sigh from the other side of the door and braced herself to keep it shut. He didn't try and barge in though, much to her surprise. "Then we'll just build it up, start with something easy like standing in the shallows, okay?" Natsuki's brow furrowed, it was hard to argue with somebody when they were being so reasonable. She almost agreed, but then she thought of the water, that huge expanse of it surrounding her and let out an involuntary squeak, squeezing her eyes shut. No, she couldn't do it, she couldn't- Something in her wall shifted. Freezing on the spot, she stared at that point, trembling. It shifted again and something began to morph out of it, greyish-brown like the rock, then slowly turning a dark, swampy green. "Zetsu! What the hell are <em>you<em> doing in _here!_ How did you _do_ that?!"  
>"<strong>Be quiet onna.<strong> It was Itachi's request. **We wouldn't have to be doing this if ****_you_**** hadn't have asked that favour of him. **I thought we could use his- **Just be quiet, I want to get this over with.** Fine." Natsuki blinked, shirking back when his two golden eyes, predatory like a leopard's, landed on her. "If you do not leave and commit to your training right now, **I'll eat you.**" Natsuki had a feeling that that wasn't an empty threat. As Zetsu stepped closer, her resolve broke and she hurled the door open, making to escape. A strong arm lifted her off the ground and threw her over a shoulder. _Again with the shoulder, Kisame..._ She muttered to herself in her head. "Finally," He chuckled, turning, "What made you leave so fast, see a ghost?" Natsuki stared, just seeing the last of Zetsu's venus flytrap sink into her floor. _Something like that..._

"Okay," Kisame let out a heavy sigh, letting Natsuki down. She huffed, brushing herself off. Then she realised where they were. At the lake. She swallowed the lump in her throat and instinctively hid behind the nearest tree. She was easily dragged out from behind her hiding place. "Take your tabi off." Kisame instructed, taking his own ninja sandals off. "We'll just stand in up to your ankles, okay?" She shook her head vigorously, too deafened by the fear rising in her chest to process his words properly. "No, not okay." Kisame huffed, walking over and throwing her back over his shoulder. She yelped as he took her tabi and socks off for her. "Do you know how long it takes me to dry my tail?" She asked, panicking as he began to walk closer to the water, "Very long, I'll tell you that now, it's a pain in the butt to dry, so we should just go back now-" Her hands balled into fists in the back of his cloak and she thrashed, hating how she couldn't even escape. Hating how she was so powerless, so helpless. "Stop it, stop walking closer to it!" She screamed, kicking his stomach and ribcage wildly. He stopped. Natsuki hadn't realised how labored her breathing had become. She flopped over his shoulder, shivering and trembling. The water lapped at one of Kisame's feet. Gently, he set her down next to it, gripping onto her shoulder when she tried to step away from it. "Just put one foot in." She shook her head again, his thumb rubbing circles in her shoulder. She looked up warily, but his quick smile was reassuring. As his hand fell from her shoulder, she grabbed onto it, latching on as if it were a lifeline. "If I drown, I will send my ghost to haunt you and Chikakon to bite your nose again." She bit out, trying to be brave and proud. Her chin lifted. A little bit of piddly water, to think it could send her into such a fit! It was stupid, it made _her_ stupid. She wouldn't allow it. But at the same time, that same fear stirred in her heart. She lifted one foot, squeezing Kisame's hand even tighter, hovering over the surface of the lake. If she stepped down, it wouldn't even cover her entire foot. It was just like having a shower. She refused to look at the rest of the lake, deep and blue, shifting with small waves created by the slight breeze. She only concentrated on the bit in front of her. Shallow. So shallow she could see the small pebbles and dirt and sand beneath it. She forced her foot down and the cool water ran over it before settling around, pushing back and forth with the lapping of waves. She could feel Kisame's grin and his grasp around her hand tightened for a second in a rewarding squeeze. She grinned up at him, looking back down at her foot in the water. She slowly placed the other one in and wiggled her toes ecstatically. She had done it! "Good," Kisame grinned, stepping in next to her. "Try coming a little deeper." Natsuki immediately yanked back on his hand, kicking water everywhere. "No!" A tremor fled through her body. 'Deeper'. It made it sound as if she'd be wading in, the water splashing and lapping over her head. The cool, dark depths trapping her in a suffocating, inescapable prison. Then she realised he didn't want her to go in that far and her cheeks burned. Quickly, she tried to cover her mistake and the subsequent embarrassment. "I- I mean, the water's cold, I don't want to freeze." Kisame looked down at her, her face hidden behind her hair, her hand still gripping his. Her toes locking together anxiously. "As soon as you come up to your ankles, we'll go straight back to the base." He compromised. Natsuki shifted her weight from one foot to the other before finally letting her head hang despondently. She inched her left foot out, deeper into the lake. The water lapped around it and she gripped his hand even tighter, squeezing her eyes shut. Sharks and fish with long, sharp teeth and bulging yellow eyes attacked her behind her eyelids and her eyes flew open with a screech as she shot out of the water. "Don't close your eyes." Kisame mumbled. He gently tugged her back into the water. "Just try again."

Itachi sighed, throwing his head back to look up at the thick canopy above him. He had gone to see how Natsuki's swimming lessons were going and so far... he wasn't impressed. Kisame had hold of Natsuki's hand, trying to get her to stand back in the water. It was ridiculous. At this rate, they wouldn't get anywhere. He looked back at the lake just to see her kick his partner in the face, a feat to be marveled at seeing how she was much shorter than him. Kisame picked her up by the shoulders and tried to force her back in the shallows. She thrashed and somehow, in the mess of grabbing hands and limbs trying to gain control of the situation, she managed to claw her way back over Kisame's shoulder and onto dry land. The two quickly got into another arguement, Natsuki jabbing a finger in the blue-skinned man's face, yelling some sort of obscure insult and then storming away. With nobody watching him, Itachi couldn't help but facepalm. That was no way to go about teaching Natsuki how to swim. He rubbed his shoulder thoughtfully as Kisame stalked off in the opposite direction of the base. This was going much worse than he thought it would. He hadn't accounted for his partner loosing his temper with the girl. _I had better sort this out before she refuses to take any more lessons..._

"Stupid fish, just because he isn't afraid of water..." Natsuki kicked a twig frustratedly, her hands balled into tight fists. "He'd know if he was scared of anything, but _nooo_, he just _has_ to be mister I'm-so-cool, doesn't he? Well to hell with him!" Her fist, blazing with raw and unrestrained chakra, collided with a nearby tree, splintering it's trunk. "_STUPID JERK!_"

The wind pushed at Itachi's face, branches and leaves suddenly appearing in his vision. He was going much faster than he usually did. Natsuki's chakra, he could feel its instability, its fluctuating presence. She couldn't be far now. Out here, anyone could get to her and if that happened, then Leader-sama would certainly be displeased with both him and Kisame. Even though the base wasn't too far away, Itachi knew the girl had a nasty habit of damning all the rules when she was mad. Suddenly, he felt the chakra flare and moments later, rocks and debris flew at him, carried by a powerful gust of wind that threw him back. Flipping in mid-air, he managed to kick off another branch and land on the ground safely, covering his eyes from the dirt flying at him. This couldn't be good.

"Who the _hell_ are you?!" Natsuki yelled, temper spiking when she found the pest still alive and smirking. He pushed up his glasses smugly,  
>"My, my. That's quit a punch you packed there." Her eyes flitted around, seeing the scorched and burnt husks of trees. How had be dodged her fireball jutsu? "Answer me!" She shouted, demanding his name yet again.<br>"Oh, I'll tell you if you come with me." That same smirk again,  
>"No way in hell!" Chakra coursed through her legs and she kicked off the ground, flying at him, her hands flashing with signs, "<em>Phoenix flower jutsu!<em>" She didn't even see it, his neat maneuvering to the side, letting the bursts of fire pass him by harmlessly. He chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Quite fiery, aren't you? But you'll have to better than that!" His fist suddenly pounded into her abdomen and she crashed into a tree. A choked cough threw blood to the earth. _Damn it..._ Her tail thrashed angrily and she got to her feet, stumbling. "Who are you?!"  
>"You're awfully hung up on that, aren't you?" The man tilted his head, giving her a glimpse of one, almond-shaped eye, heartless and black as the depths of the ocean. A chill ran down Natsuki's spine. "It is of no concern to you though. Who I am will not help you escape defeat." Stinging pain suddenly burst up Natsuki's arm and her leg and she jolted; she could feel blood dribbling from both limbs and then from her neck and shoulder. "Those were warning shots, I'll impale you next time if you don't agree to come peacefully."<br>"What do you take me for?!" Natsuki went to attack again, throwing herself forwards. She had beaten Hidan in hand-to-hand combat before, no way in hell could this silver-haired _runt_ kill her! He couldn't even hurt her, she wouldn't let him!

~:~

Natsuki winced at another scalpel slicing through her side, but her fist continued towards the runt's face, pounding him to the ground. A poof of smoke clouded her vision as the man disappeared and more cold steel slashed through her skin. She whirled around, throwing a punch to his face again only to be kneed in the stomach and hurled to the ground. She coughed, blood splattering the ground. A scalpel pinned the neck of her kimono to the ground. A sign of his dominance over the situation, over _her_. She almost tried to spit at him. Her foot was suddenly, brutally, yanked to the side and a terrible cracking sound echoed through the scorched grounds, swallowed up by a bone-chilling, earth-shattering yell as the man plunged another blade through her achilles heel, severing the tendon completely. Then a cold hand pulled her up by the neck and a sharp pain shot through the back of it. _Pressure point-_ She guessed as her world turned to darkness.

Itachi fell into a crouch, using his sharingan to quickly survey the area. The trees here were a scorched, burnt mess and the the ground bare of life. Mutilated footprints in the dirt was the only other evidence Itachi needed to know that Natsuki had fought someone here. He stood from his crouch cautiously, fingers twitching in preparation to grab a kunai or perform handsigns. The tomoe in his sharingan twisted. He could barely feel her chakra anymore and the frustrating, infuriating thing about it all was that he hadn't got there in time. He didn't know if she had depleted her chakra resources, if she was hurt, if she was safe. He didn't know where she was. If he tried to follow the faint trail of her chakra, what would he find? A half-dead body or the fiery girl he had come to see as a close friend? A helpless feeling began to settle in his gut, tugging at his heart. He had lost control of the situation, he didn't want to follow her chakra, he was too scared of what he would find. It would be just like that night... that night where he was forced into murdering his entire clan, his family, his friends... That same helpless feeling had swallowed him up then too. "Hey, un." Itachi's head whipped around to face the blond and the puppet-master. "Looks like you lost you temper _Itachi-kun_." Deidara teased, a mischievous grin plastered to his face. "What happened?" Sasori's voice through Hiruko was rough and gritty. Itachi took a moment to compose himself. "Natsuki fought somebody here." He didn't want to admit that he wasn't certain of anything else.  
>"Deidara, let's go." Sasori bit out, emerging from Hiruko.<br>"What- why?"  
>"This situation calls for haste; Deidara, fly back to the base and inform Leader-sama that you, me and Itachi are taking on a new mission. Whatever he says, I want you to come back and join us. We'll need your help." The blond frowned, but he still dug into his pouch and through out a small clay bird. With one hand sign, it had enlarged and he was flying away, high up into the sky. "Let's go." Sasori snapped. "I hate waiting."<p>

~:~

"Nnh." The room was dark, pitch black and dank. The air was heavy, hard to breathe in. The panic sat in the air, filling it. Making it heavier. The weight of it on her chest, it was impossible. Then the pain, that excruciating monster burning up her calf and through her ankle, drowning out the dull thrum from her thigh. She didn't even think she could twitch her toes. _Where the hell... am I?_

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><p><strong>This one annoyed me, mainly just the 'swimming lesson' part though. I tried so hard to make it good for you guys though, I hope it's okay.<strong>

**The competition is still running overall, but no more entires will be taken for CH17 which means... ForASunset'sRise, you win for CH17! Request anything you want rated T or under ^^**

**Finf, out ^/_\^**


	19. Chapter 19

**Warning: Needles and stuff ahead. If you really hate needles then skip out the second paragraph (it's needle-free after they start talking though).**

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><p>Chapter Nineteen: Snake-scum.<br>Kisame kneaded his fists into his mattress, glaring at it frustratedly. What the hell was wrong with that girl? All he was doing was trying to help and what did he get for it? That's right. A kick in the face. He rubbed his nose and listened to the sound of pitter-patter footsteps darting through the halls outside. _Chikakon._ He mindlessly thought. The little fox often went dashing through the base and it wasn't uncommon to hear Hidan yelling and cursing after it. This time though, the pitter-patter stopped, only to be replaced by snuffling and scratching at his door. Kisame glowered at it. He wasn't in the mood for games. "Go away." He growled out. Chikakon barked and continued scratching the door. "Stop that!" It didn't stop. Cursing, Kisame stood up and threw the door open. "What do you want?" He seethed. The little fox bit his cloak and started dragging him out into the hall. Kisame pulled his cloak back. "I'm not playing." He said firmly, turning back to his room. Chikakon barked and bit his cloak again, dragging him back out. This time when Kisame yanked his cloak free, the fox set off barking and yapping in an unholy racket. "_What do you want?!_" Kisame near enough yelled. Chikakon jumped on the spot, then ran off down the corridor, still barking. Despite wanting to go back into his room and mull over Natsuki's twisted logic and irrational fears, Kisame huffed and jogged after the little fox. After all, it wasn't often that Chikakon was this insistent.

Natsuki hissed as another needle pierced through her skin. She bucked and writhed, setting off an explosion of pain up her calf. The whites of her eyes showed boldly in the darkness. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead. Every time she moved, she could feel the needles push through her veins and scrape the skin. She tried to glare at the silver-haired man as he inserted another needle into her. This time her hand. He cast her a mocking smirk and turned away to his 'toys' as he called them; brutal objects of experimental torture. "W- what," Her voice came in hissing, gasping breaths. A mild panic had begun to overcome her system, "What are you d- doing to me?"  
>"Just a few tests." His voice was just as slick and ridiculing as she remembered it. Her chest heaved and stomach fluttered anxiously. She drew in another deep breath through quivering lips and blinked. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Fear had settled in beside the panic long ago. It sent her heart beating like a drum in her chest. She gulped in another breath. "What for?" The words weren't as clear as she had wanted them to be. The man smirked and picked up a scalpel. The blade flashed wickedly in the candlelight, its gleaming edge accentuated by the thick shadows surrounding it. "Now I already know that you've combined chakra with that little fox of yours," Natsuki yanked on the straps around her wrists; her tail thrashed as he lightly touched the tips of the hairs. "But let's see how."<p>

Deidara was still grumbling under his breath when night fell. Sasori and Itachi were by far _the_ worst people to travel with _ever_. Stoic, aloof, both with a superiority complex, Deidara didn't know how long he could last. The wind whipping in his face as they flew over the trees didn't help much either. His cheeks had long since gone numb, he was tired from the previous mission he and Danna had taken and _hell_, he didn't want to be going out looking for that stupid, stuck-up blue-haired girl! Sure she was fun to tease, but that was it! Besides, he had _plenty_ of other people he could tease in the Akatsuki, so it wasn't like he was short of entertainment or anything. She was useless! They didn't even _need_ a weapons repairer. Leader-sama never ordered her to make any new weapons and it wasn't like the rest of the Akatsuki couldn't mend their own goddamn arsenal. Deidara snorted in disgust and crossed his arms. She was just a nuisance. The only reason he was flying the bastard Uchiha and Danna out to wherever the hell Natsuki had been bloody _kidnapped_ was because the two of them - as much as he loathed to admit it, even in his head - were of 'higher standing'. E.g: They could boss Deidara around if they so pleased. He growled and dug his heel into the clay neck of his bird. Why was Danna so attached to her anyways? He almost growled at the thought of her being closer to his Danna than he was- A cold hand landed on his shoulder and he almost jumped at the contact. "Land now Deidara. Itachi says he's found the end of the trail."  
>"Where-" Deidara started, curious as to what could possibly be down in the thick of the forests. Sasori's grip tightened on Deidara's shoulder and the puppet master snarled. "Another one of the snake-scum's bases."<p>

_"She was my mummy..."  
>"He was my daddy..."<br>"Where's my daddy? Where's my sister?"  
>"Hey, have you seen my brother? He didn't come home last night..."<em>

_"You killed them, didn't you?"_

_"You killed my mummy."  
>"You killed my daddy."<br>"Why'd you do it? Why'd you kill my sister?"  
>"What did my brother ever do to hurt you?"<em>

Natsuki gasped. Her eyes flew open and she cringed. The sharp throb of pain kept her from thinking of those voices - the voices that had been eating at her sleep since she had murdered all of those innocent people with Kakuzu and Hidan. She tried to lift her arm, but it wouldn't. All she could feel from it was a heavy weight, like all of the muscles were too weak to lift even a leaf, or maybe removed. Cold seeped down her back at the possibility. Her eyes strained to find where the pain was coming from, her vision wavering as she tried to look over her shoulder and down her spine. She soon gave up and let her head fall to the cool surface she was lying on. She tried to wiggle her toes, move her legs and see if they were working. She gasped and bit her tongue so hard that she tasted the iron tang of blood. _Dammit._ Her ears pricked to the sound of a door opening and she tried to look back over her shoulder. "Hmmm... Kabuto has left you in quite the state..." The voice, sibilant and harbouring a filthy, dark tone, sent the hairs on the back of Natsuki's neck and the ones on her tail to raising. Subconsciously, she knew that this was the Snake-scum. The one the Akatsuki seemed to war with almost constantly. She pressed her forehead into the metal table. This was bad. "I'm curious," The snake-scum pressed cool, unwanted fingers between her shoulder blades as if to keep her pinned. "What does the Akatsuki want with a simpleton like you, hmm? How does one such as yourself," His nails dug into her skin and she forced the hiss that came forth to stay back. "_Join chakra_ with a fox? One that isn't even a kitsune for that matter."  
>"How do you know about Chikakon?" Natsuki managed to bite out. She hoped her voice didn't betray her discomfort. The chuckle, the one of an amused snake, made her doubt her success. "<em>Research<em>, girl, research. It's shown me that you and that fox have practically melded together, you must know why, so tell me." The fingers left her skin and she could almost breathe a sigh of relief. "How the hell should I know?" She couldn't show weakness. She couldn't show weakness. She _could not show weakness, _even if she was taking her last, dying breath. Her jaw was suddenly gripped by those same, icy fingers and she jerked, her leg screaming out as the severed tendons jolted. Her cry gurgled forth. Finally, she saw his face, who this Snake-scum was and there was no doubt about it. From the sudden, thrusting palpitation of her heart to the way every nerve and muscle in her body froze, there was no doubt about it.

He terrified her.

"_Shit._" Kisame's hand raised up halfway to his grip his head, but then his arm fell and he turned, stalking a few steps away. Chikakon shuffled his feet in the ashen ground, the remnants of Natsuki's battle. He whined and flicked his ears. "- all my fault." Kisame muttered, turning and striding back, then away, then back again. "_Fuck._"

Sasori, Deidara and Itachi shuffled through the undergrowth. Sasori pushed a branch aside, eyeing the vine-coated lair. The stones were crumbling on the outside and leaves from last Autumn lay scattered all about it, but he was sure the inside structure would still be sturdy. He shifted in his crouch, strategies running through his head. With the base sturdy, that at least minimised the chances of the roof collapsing on them if Deidara used his bombs, but it also meant that purposefully demolishing the base would be harder depending on its exact build. Sasori bit his thumb, a purposeful demolition would have made for an easy escape... Itachi fell into a crouch beside him,  
>"What are you thinking?" He murmured, peering through the bushes. Sasori remained silent for a minute, then slowly:<br>"I've got the escape worked out. Now we just need the rest." Itachi nodded,  
>"That entrance seems to be the only way in, there's sure to be traps laid out or at least some sensors." Sasori <em>hmphed<em> in agreement and they retreated further back to where Deidara sat at the base of a tree.

"Our only options are a direct assault on the Snake-scum's lair, a stealth operation where we try and slip under the radar, or a diversion in order to sneak in." Itachi listed. Deidara huffed and looked away. What was the point? The girl was useless and he, for one, was not about to risk his life for her. Besides, that snake bastard freaked him out. No way he'd go near him by his own volition.  
>"After we're in, we'll trace Natsuki's chakra to her whereabouts, grab her and run. Deidara," Deidara sent a glare towards his Danna. Why did he, an unfeeling puppet, feel the need to rescue that girl? It didn't make sense-<br>"Deidara, pay attention." Sasori bit. Deidara forced himself to focus. "Once we've got Natsuki, it'll be up to you to destroy the base. We're counting on you." Deidara turned away with a frown. He hated it when his Danna said things like that; he could never turn him down.  
>"And if it's a trap set up for us?" Deidara asked, looking at the Uchiha and Sasori pointedly, "You <em>geniuses<em> thought of that?"  
>"If it's a trap, we fight our way out of it." Itachi said.<br>"Ch." Deidara glared at a distant tree.  
>"Our best bet of getting in is for Deidara to create a diversion." Sasori pointed at a rocky overhang protruding from a nearby cliff. "Think you can blow that up and get it to head towards the Snake-scum's lair?" Deidara's chest swelled,<br>"Of course I can! My art's the best, after all." Sasori's eye twitched and he muttered a biting retort, not wanting to get into an arguement now. He looked at the lair. They had work to do after all.

He wasn't going fast enough, he knew that and yet he couldn't change it. He was going as fast as he could and yet- Kisame growled and shoved his growing doubt down. Now wasn't the time to be falling into despair. He had to help Natsuki. That was the only thing he should be focusing on right now! He thrust himself forwards with a burst of chakra. Chikakon, who had somehow increased in size by six feet, kept up with the missing nin easily. His sensitive nose and the fact that he'd spent more time around Natsuki than anybody else meant that Chikakon could pick up the girl's trail more clearly than Kisame could. He bit his lip. They had to hurry.

The explosion scattered birds and wildlife all around and the ground shook as the rock shelf thundered down the cliffside in a cloud of dust and dirt. It tore up trees in its path and collided with an ear-splitting crash with Orochimaru's lair. Sasori and Itachi couldn't tell if any traps had been triggered by the commotion, but at least their diversion worked. Hordes of Kabuto's experiments scrambled out of the partially-collapsed base like ants escaping the nest to attack the enemy. Deidara, flying just above the canopy, released three smaller clay creations, detonating them and causing more chaos. Enraged by the damage and most likely fueled by Orochimaru's command, the mutated, mangled experiments set off in pursuit of the retreating bomber. That left the perfect opening for Itachi and Sasori to infiltrate the lair and go in search of Natsuki.

Despite the attack, the halls were quiet. Itachi and Sasori had dispatched clones to scout the immediate vicinity and check the rubbled for any signs of life. It had been a risky gamble, destroying part of the lair, but they had pinned their hopes on Natsuki being kept deeper in. So far, their assumption had been correct. They moved further down the halls, containing their chakra as much as possible. When they came to a fork in the corridor they sent a couple of their clones down one path and took the other. Their progress was gruelingly slow and the pressure of trying to stay undetectable was almost crushing, the urge to release their chakra and storm the base almost unbearable. Itachi was glad of one thing at least; Kisame wasn't there. He wasn't the sort for reconnaissance missions to begin with and with Natsuki's life most certainly on the line... Itachi stopped that line of thought in its tracks. Kisame didn't even know Natsuki had been taken so there was no point thinking about an impossible scenario. Instead of wasting his concentration, he turned it towards finding Natsuki. He hoped she was still alive.

Sasori stopped suddenly. Itachi came to a halt and looked back at him questioningly.  
>"My clone has picked something up." Sasori mumbled. Itachi nodded, more alert now, and they both sprinted off in the direction of Sasori's clone.<p>

Kabuto pushed his glasses back up his nose. They reflected the candlelight and obscured the view of his eyes. Orochimaru sneered at his report and rested his chin on the top of his fist.  
>"So it was a diversion, hmmm." It wasn't a question but a mere statement of the facts. A contemplative gesture. "And how far away is our blue skinned friend?" Kabuto leafed through his notes,<br>"If he retains the same speed, two minutes." The almost imperceptible furrowing of Orochimaru's slim eyebrows caused Kabuto to stiffen a little. Orochimaru smirked at the reaction and stood abruptly.  
>"Then that gives us just enough time to prepare a little tea party for our guests. Have you gotten everything we needed from the girl?"<br>"Yes Lord Orochimaru." The corner of the sannin's lips drew up in a fiendish grin.  
>"Excellent. Go fetch her, we don't want to lose the advantage to those two rats scurrying the halls."<p>

Chikakon could smell her now more strongly than before. Natsuki was close. He sped up, pouncing across the forest floor. Above him in the thick branches of the trees, he could hear the fish man's leaps quicken in response. Kisame gripped the hilt of Samehada.  
><em>I'm coming Natsuki.<em>

Sasori kicked the door off its hinges and it smashed against the wall opposite. He and Itachi rushed in bearing kunai and shuriken. Their eyes scanned the room only to find darkness and an empty gurney. The leather straps had been cut - an act of obvious haste - and vials of suspicious liquids, needles and various saws and scalpels lay scattered across the floor. Some vials had shattered and oozed strange substances, some of which bubbled and fizzed on the floor, releasing a pungent smell. Itachi turned to Sasori,  
>"She was here until a short while ago." The puppet master nodded in agreement.<br>"It seems they tortured her." He fingered the edge of one of the nastier-looking saws. It was designed to hack through bone and he almost grimaced at the thought. Itachi gripped his kunai and swiftly exited the room.  
>"Have a clone collect those vials, we're going after Natsuki. Now." Sasori stood from his crouch and instructed his clone, which stood outside of the room, to collect everything within the room, store it in scrolls, and return to the Akatsuki base with them for analysis. The clone set to work immediately and Sasori dashed off after Itachi. They didn't have much time left- A loud rumbling shook the base like an earthquake had suddenly hit and Sasori had to dodge falling debris as the ceiling began to cave in.<br>_Shit. Brat, did you start destroying the base already?_

Kisame growled out a string of curses as Kabuto stood unscathed before him. The dust and dirt swirled around his legs.  
>"My my, you're just as fiery as the fox girl." He mused, adjusting his glasses in a mockingly casual manner.<br>"Where's Natsuki?!" Kisame yelled. Chikakon roared beside him, crouching low.  
>"And so demanding too. You really are perfect for each other." He dodged another deadly blow from Samehada but Chikakon cut off his escape and snapped at his head, crushing the skull like it was nothing in his massive jaws. There was a sudden poof though and a splintered log was all that was left. Kabuto reappeared behind Kisame, aiming a scalpel between his ribs. Kisame turned just in time, almost catching the little bastard with the width of Samehada.<br>"What do you know about it anything?!" Kisame brought down Samehada again and it smashed into the ground causing it to shake. Kabuto flipped a safe distance away and slipped under the pouncing claws of Chikakon.  
>"A lot actually. Though the girl never actually said it, no matter how much I sliced her open... I had to do all the digging myself, how tedious-" He grunted as he was cut short by another swing of Samehada. This one was more difficult to dodge, but he still managed it. This was too easy. He had assumed Hoshigaki would fly into a blind fit of rage, but he hadn't thought it would render him such an <em>easy<em> target. He could almost laugh at the prospect. If it turned out like this for the other two, they could take out three Akatsuki in one day. And to top it all off, they would have enough information from the girl to create a new hybrid experiment.

His thoughts had left him open though and before he knew it he was on his back, a large blue hand constricting his air flow. He choked and quickly formed a substitution jutsu. His form poofed into a pile of rubble and Kisame cursed, looking around for the real Kabuto. He spotted him leaping over a rise in the debris and dashed after him. Chikakon followed with a guttural growl.

Natsuki swallowed back the tears in her eyes. She couldn't cry. She had to be brave, she had to believe everything was going to be alright. She _had_ to. She swallowed again; she'd given up on trying to hide the fact that she was in pain. The, the _snake_ had seen through her guise anyway. There was no point pretending to be stronger than she was. She just had to try and keep her hopes up.  
><em>He won't let me die.<em> Natsuki told herself. _He would never let me die._ She had to believe that. Kisame would come for her, she had to believe he would otherwise... She wouldn't let herself think about that possibility. Orochimaru smirked at her from his perch on one of the arena's balconies. One of the _viewing platforms_. She tried to look at all of the cages lining the walls. Some still had the mutated, tortured remains of past experiments in them. Many were empty. She couldn't help it as the feeling of dread sank into her. She knew what was going to happen. Orochimaru had told her, just to torment her some more before he ended it all. It was all just a trap laid out for them. As soon as the Akatsuki set foot in this arena... Natsuki turned her cheek to the ground as she felt the wet tracks of tears across her frigid skin. She trembled.

They were going to die.

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><p><strong>Eheh. Sorry? If it helps any, chapter 20 is partially written already so... I'll try not to disappear for so long again? <strong>

**Anyway, remember that competition I was holding? You know, the one where you have to find a song best suited to that chapter etc. and if you won I'd write something for you? Well, it's still up and running!**

**Okay, ****_Guest_****, you won for Chapter 18!  
>That means no more entries for chapter 18, only entries for chapter 19 will be taken now. <strong>

_**Guest**_** if you want to request something different from what you asked for before, then just let me know otherwise I'll write about Kisame and Natsuki dancing. Also, thank-you so much for support and all the lovely reviews!**

**_ForASunset'sRise_****, you were in very close competition, but thanks for entering! I've written your request already and I'll post it with the others once I've got five.**

**Everyone else, thanks for reading and I hope you're still enjoying Weapons Dealer and that you haven't forgotten about it (though I've only got myself to blame if you have).  
>If you need more detailed rules for the song competition, please look at the AN in chapter 17! Or was it 16? **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Loss.  
>Kabuto burst into the arena and leapt up into one of the viewing platforms. Orochimaru spared him a glance,<br>"Are they coming?"  
>"Of course." Kabuto shifted his glasses smugly. "That Hoshigaki is just too gullible." Down below he caught sight of Natsuki trying to lift herself up, but she fell back down pitifully.<br>"And the others?" Orochimaru ignored her.  
>"They're coming." Just then, the rock wall was broken through. Rubble flew everywhere and Chikakon leapt through followed by a fuming Kisame. He threw his fist into the wall and it cracked and crumbled. Orochimaru lifted his chin in satisfaction.<br>"_WHERE ARE YOU YOU BASTARD?!_" He roared. Kabuto chuckled but said nothing. Chikakon barked having already found Natsuki in the center of the arena. Kisame immediately forgot about his plight to catch the silver rat and dashed to Natsuki's side.

He fell to his knees and grabbed her by the shoulders. She grunted in pain, squinting up at him. She took hold of his arm weakly and whispered hoarsely,  
>"<em>Run.<em>" Kisame blinked. He didn't understand- "_Run. It's a trap._" She coughed and collapsed. Kisame grit his teeth and stood his ground. He didn't know what that snake-scum did to her, part of him didn't want to know, but he couldn't let it go without consequence. He definitely wouldn't leave her here. Even if it killed him. He heard the grating of cages being opened and swung Samehada testily. Beasts, some skinless, others barely standing as they limped out on lopsided legs, crawled out of their hovels. Kisame could barely recognise them as human anymore and it sickened him to think that Natsuki might end up like them. _He_ might end up like them. Then he forced a grin.

Like he'd ever let that happen.

Itachi and Sasori skidded around the next corner. There was no point hiding their chakra now. From the feel of it, Kisame had crashed through the lair and alerted Orochimaru to their presence. Now, as they sprinted through the base, Itachi could feel the fluctuating chakra of his partner. It wasn't chakra that was injured or in danger, it was the imbalance that pure furious rage caused. Silently, he cursed Kisame. This now inevitable fight would take a turn for the worse if he didn't control himself. Anger was never a good crutch to fight on. Itachi had to hurry; now he had two people to look out for. Beside him, Sasori sped up.

They were almost there. They were so close they could pick up the faint trace of Natsuki's chakra too. That meant she must still be alive, or freshly dead. Neither of them lingered long on that prospect. They could see a pile of rubble beneath a hole in the wall and leapt through it straight into a recreation of hell.

Mutated monsters swarmed and clawed at the two fighting figures in the centre of the arena. Kisame swung Samehada in tight arcs, trying to avoid the grabbing hands of Orochimaru's experiments. Chikakon roared and snapped at the creatures clambering up his legs. They tore at him and he was struggling just to keep them from enveloping him. Even from where they stood, Itachi and Sasori could see that the two of them where doing their best to keep the things away from a small section of the ground. Natsuki. It had to be.

They had been stood idly for too long though and the creatures had caught sight of them. Gurgling and clicking, snapping jaws at the pair, the monsters advanced. Kisame and Chikakon still occupied most of their attention though, but they felt the flow of attack lessen. That was all either of them needed to press into the offensive and force the invasion back. Far above them, Orochimaru sneered in disgust at their progress. He turned to the side,  
>"Kabuto, call <em>it<em> out." The boy smirked and adjusted his glasses once again,  
>"With pleasure Lord Orochimaru."<p>

Deidara veered around. _Finally_ he'd rid himself of the disgusting things tailing him. It had taken more bombs than he had expected, but at least he still had enough clay to complete the mission. Gaining altitude, he found his bearings and fell into a steep dive. He'd spent too long dealing with the snake-scum's pets and everyone knew how much his Danna hated to be kept waiting.

Chikakon fell down on one leg, thrashing to try and keep the beasts from tearing him to pieces. Kisame fell back against Itachi and they faced the horde together whilst Sasori's puppets flashed through complicated battle sequences in the background with the more skilled of the experiments. Kisame and Itachi's chests heaved and they fished through their chakra reserves. They were running low, even Kisame who had the most chakra out of all of them. Despite their lack of skill, these monsters had the advantage of vast numbers. They just kept coming. For every one they took out, three replaced them. Itachi's eyes were beginning to feel the strain and he swallowed in more air. He had to figure out something to get them out of here. Sasori's movements had begun to slow half an hour ago and his puppet body had suffered thanks to that. They had been locked in battle for at least two hours and he wondered what was keeping Deidara. Had he flown off? No, he wouldn't abandon Sasori like that. The rest of them however, he would probably leave behind without a second thought. Itachi grunted as another blow struck home, tearing through the muscle in his arm. Damn. At his back, Kisame stumbled and was pounced on by a pack of the creatures. He fell to his knees and struggled to throw them off. Chikakon howled beside the slumped form of Natsuki as he was swallowed up. Somewhere in the distance, thundering footsteps could be heard.

Deidara squinted against the wind tearing at his face. Both his fists worked on moulding the C-4 clay into one of his more powerful pieces of art. Getting closer and closer with each second was Orochimaru's lair. Smoke was rising from a wide crack in the rock and Deidara aimed for that, presuming it to be the remnants of a fire jutsu. He finished moulding the bombs and swooped low over the base. He threw the bombs and climbed higher and higher into the air. Lifting his hand to his face, he yelled,  
>"Katsu!" The sound of the explosion, the light, the scattering debris, all of it was art in its purest form.<p>

The group coughed as the dust cleared. Most of the crumbling roof had crushed the snake-scum's experiments. Even the giant, lumbering _thing _that had been summoned up had been knocked out. They were silently thankful for Deidara's timing. Had been any later, they wouldn't have survived. As it stood though, Deidara was hovering above the whole in the ceiling on his clay bird.  
>"Come on, un!" He called out, waving for them to hurry up. Sasori released the jutsu holding his puppets and they all puffed back into their scrolls. Gathering up the last of his chakra, he leapt up onto the bird. Kisame tore off his cloak and grabbed Natsuki in it to cover her up whilst Itachi snatched up Chikakon who, in his exhaustion had reverted back to his normal size. Itachi and Kisame leapt up onto Deidara's bird too and before any of the creatures could shake off the shock and come after them, the group climbed higher and higher into the air until they were nothing more than a speck. Just out of harm's way, Kabuto cursed. Already he knew Lord Orochimaru would be displeased with him.<p>

Kisame gripped Natsuki's hand and wrapped her tighter in his cloak. He could feel the blood seeping through the fabric to stain his hands and arms. They needed to get back to the base as fast as possible otherwise she wouldn't make it. Pressing his palm to her forehead, he could feel her fever. She had obviously had it for a while. What the hell had those bastards done to her? He held her close to him and prayed that she would live.

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><p>It felt like an eternity before they finally landed back at the Akatsuki base. Kisame leapt down with Natsuki as fast as he could and took her inside, yelling for Kakuzu. Sasori followed after quickly to start analysing the vials his clone had returned to the base with. If they had poisoned, her, it would most likely be with one of the substances found in that room. Itachi walked after them. He had exhausted nearly all of his chakra and energy so running was not an option. Deidara released the jutsu around the clay bird before casually entering the base. What was the big deal about that girl anyway? He huffed, blowing his fringe out of his eye. Whatever.<p>

Kisame waited anxiously outside the infirmary. Kakuzu was still inside with Natsuki, inspecting her wounds and stitching her up. Sasori had holed himself up in his room to start the long process of analysing the various substances found in Natsuki's holding cell. Picking at the blood underneath his fingernails, Kisame tried to think about the better outcomes of this situation. It was hard. He strangled a sigh and rested his head in his hands, this was all just so messed up. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to settle down for the long wait ahead.

The day gave way to night and the doors to the infirmary remained shut. Another day passed by like the first and Kisame endured outside, head in his hands, silent. Itachi came and sat beside him for some time before getting up and leaving again. Sasori worked sleeplessly without consequence in his room, testing each vial meticulously. Then as night fell on the second day, Kakuzu hurled the doors open.

Kisame leapt to his feet and tried to look inside, but the doors swung shut on him.  
>"Get Sasori, now." Kakuzu barked.<br>"What-"  
>"Now!" He pushed Kisame down the corridor and flew back through the doors. The urgency in Kakuzu's voice stopped him from storming into the infirmary and demanding to know what was happening. He cast the doors one last glance before sprinting off down the hall.<p>

"Brat what have I told you about-" Sasori stopped short when he realised it was Kisame who had just took his door off its hinges. He frowned and stood up. Kisame caught the puppet master's wrist and yanked him out in the corridor.  
>"Kakuzu needs you." Was the only explanation he received but it was more than enough. The two dashed through the base, winding through the web of halls and passageways. The infirmary was in sight now and Sasori ran ahead through the doors. Kisame fell to a walk and then stopped as the white doors swung shut on him once more. Through the glass all he could see was her feet, purple veins webbing her skin. Sasori and Kakuzu ran around her, stitching her up and injecting her with vials of clear liquid as her organs began to fail.<p>

Kisame could feel his feet going numb, but the scene playing out in front of his eyes, out of his reach, enraptured him and he stood frozen. Was this really happening? Was she really going to...

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><p><strong>This one has actually been on my laptop since CH19 was uploaded, hehe... I was going to upload it on Monday so yeah. I liked writing all the fighting (though there probably isn't that much haha). But I also really want to write something funny which I can't. I must keep it serious (serious faces now!), but next chapter! There will be some humour next chapter!<strong>

**Anyway, thank-you ****_FozzyOzzy97 _****and ****_chomp0 _****for reviewing! **

_**FozzyOzzy97 **_**you won last chapter's competition (sorry if you felt that I forced you to enter the song in, I didn't mean it like that *grovels*)! Request anything you like (rated T or under XD).**

**Pfft, you know what, I uploaded this chapter onto the document manager but not the actual story. Oops, haha.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: Gone.  
>Chikakon limped over to Kisame and struggled to clamber up onto the seat beside him. Kisame didn't raise his head from his hands so Chikakon dropped the bowl of rice he had been carrying on his lap carefully. Kisame spared him a weary glance and leant back against the wall. Chikakon pushed his nose into the man's hand and whined. Kisame rubbed his head between the ears.<br>"No-one's said anything yet." He told the fox. Somehow it made him feel better, just a bit, to talk to someone else. He sighed and scratched at one of the bandages around his arms. The wounds they had sustained from their battle with Orochimaru's experiments last week had been cleaned and tended to by Konan.

The doors opened with a quiet creak and Kakuzu shuffled out, shoulders slumped and rubbing his eyes. Exhaling measuredly, he looked to Kisame and Chikakon. Chikakon tore from the bench; forgetting his injuries he stood on his hind legs and looked up at Kakuzu expectantly. Kisame stood. He could feel his hands shaking, the tremors running up his arms. His throat stuck and he found he couldn't make the words he wanted to ask come out. _Was she okay, alive? What was happening? Can I see her?_ Kakuzu seemed to hear these silent questions. He sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face,  
>"For having only been gone a day, her wounds are severe." Kisame felt his stomach plummet and a cold flush run through him.<br>"However," Kakuzu said, watching as the man before him visibly straightened, "We managed to fix her up for now. She still has a number of poisons and experimental drugs in her system; Sasori is still breaking them down and making antidotes but it will take some time. For now, we're just going to have to deal with each problem as it arises. She may not-" Kisame shook his head,  
>"I want to see her." His vocal chords had finally shifted and he swallowed. Kakuzu shrugged noncommittally, turning it into a roll of his shoulders upon realising his stiffness. The expectation built as he considered the demand.<br>"Just don't touch anything." He relented, quickly taking his leave.

They didn't loiter; both Kisame and Chikakon rushed through the doors to Natsuki's side. Chikakon jumped up and down on the spot, trying to get at good look at the young woman. Tearing his eyes away from her, Kisame picked the little fox up so that he could see, though he wouldn't let him lick her face. Kisame looked around the infirmary, only seeing Sasori sat at the lab on the other side of the room. He reached out, his arm still trembling, and laid a hand over hers. The veins traversing her pallid skin were still there in that awful purple colour, but they were not as pronounced which Kisame took as a good thing. He looked up at her face, the skin drawn, dark shadows beneath her eyes. Sweat dribbled over her face; if it weren't for that Kisame would have thought her dead. He gripped her hand.

Sasori stood abruptly. Marching over to them, he gave Kisame a look and told him to sit Natsuki up.  
>"Why?" Kisame warily asked, sitting the woman up despite her feverish groans. "What are you doing?" Sasori didn't look up when he answered.<br>"This," He pushed a needle into her shoulder, "Is the antidote." If Kisame had been paying more attention to Sasori, he would have heard the tinge of pride in his voice and seen the almost-smile on his face, but as it was, he only cared that Natsuki was going to get better. She was going to live. The plunger of the needle was pushed down and the translucent blue liquid disappeared into Natsuki's body. Sasori took it out and brought out another two, injecting them into her side and leg. Binning the empty needles, Sasori motioned for Kisame to lay her back down again before going through a routine check. He measured her pulse, took her temperature and pressed his finger into her abdomen to see if there were any abnormal swellings or lumps. Satisfied, he gave Natsuki one last glance before leaving the infirmary. Kisame watched the doors swing shut with a gentle thud and turned back to Natsuki. A smile broke across his face. She wasn't going to die.

And he swore his heart soared.

* * *

><p>It was all good until the excruciating pain made itself rudely known by clamping its damn sharp teeth into her leg. Both of them. Natsuki groaned and tried to get away from it by turning her head, but that only made her realise that every muscle in her body felt like it had been torn apart like the threads in a piece of string and then clumsily put back together by a toddler with sticky fingers. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried to steady her breathing. It didn't make the pain go away, but it made her feel better about it. Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes.<p>

Bright light invaded her vision and she shied away from it, closing her eyes again. Barking alerted her to Chikakon's presence, but the high-pitched noise made her cringe. A deep voice shushed the fox and Natsuki forced herself to squint through one eye to see who else was there. She cracked a smile at the blue hand pushing Chikakon's head down as the fox tried to jump onto her. Keeping the smile there was hard work and she had to let it go. With a soft exhalation, she turned her head back to the ceiling and relaxed her eyes. She felt Kisame's hand on her shoulder and sighed as he murmured words she was too tired to comprehend. Chikakon's wet nose pushed into her palm. Darkness drew over her inner eye as sleep took over her.

But even in her dreams, she was tormented. Angry voices hounded her through deserted, war-torn streets. Wails and moans of hysteria rose all about her as the ground was soaked in the nightmarish colour of blood. She couldn't escape. Everywhere she looked, bodies. Corpses of the dead and dying. Those still alive stumbled after her like the possessed or sat under the broken eaves of houses now fallen. They cried there, mourned the loss of their loved ones. Friends, family. The worst part was that even in her dreams- no, her nightmares, she could still feel the pain of watching her own friends and family being slaughtered. And yet she had brought this terrible suffering on other people. Knowingly, she had become their very own nightmare. The wailings grew louder, higher, reaching a crescendo. Her assailants lurched faster, clawing at her as she started to run. They yelled at her, screamed, but her ears heard none of it. Nothing except for one word sailing above the rest:  
><em>"Monster."<em>

Natsuki gasped. Her eyes flew wide open and she fought for her breath. Kisame sat up beside her, grabbing her hand. Chikakon stood on the white cloth of her infirmary bed, whining because he didn't know how to help. Her breath came back to her and she worked on steadying her heartbeat. Once it was somewhat under control, she turned her attention to her surroundings. Anything to stop her from thinking about the horrors in her nightmare.

She was still in the infirmary and deduced that the whiteness of her surroundings had been her attacker the last time she had opened her eyes. Twitching her muscles, she tested everywhere to see if she was fit enough to sit up. Whilst still sore, she wasn't in immense pain so she began to push herself up. Chikakon whined at her and laid his ears back worriedly. She smiled at him. A strong arm suddenly helped her into a sitting position and she looked to her side to see Kisame. His eyes were expectant, as if they were asking a million questions all with one look. They were worried, they were happy, there was... something else. She couldn't quite place it, it was almost urging her on and that in itself made her smile at him.  
>"Hey fish man." Everything in his eyes then turned to elation and his wide, cocky grin broke out across his face, making her grin too. Suddenly, she was in his arms. His head buried itself into her neck and he pulled her close to him. He gripped her like he'd never let go.<br>"Don't ever, _ever_ scare me like that again." His muffled voice reached her and she snorted, pushing him away. The loss of warmth was strangely... discomforting. She looked away, afraid that he'd be able to see what she was thinking from her eyes. She didn't know why that idea set her on edge. Her eyes caught on the splint and thick layer of bandages around her ankle and cringed when she remembered how that had happened. Then she frowned.  
><em>I can't believe that little silver-haired rat was so powerful- No. <em>She stopped herself there, realising with disgust the truth. _I was just too weak._ She would have continued to from if it weren't for-

The infirmary door flew off its hinges with a splintering crack and a triple-bladed scythe was aimed into the room.  
>"Bitch where the fuck is that rat?!" He yelled, clambering over the bits of door. Chikakon squeaked and leapt into Natsuki's arms. She glared at Hidan.<br>"Again, he's a fox. Not a rat." The Jashinist ignored her and continued spouting his usual nonsense.  
>"I need to fucking sacrifice something dammit! Now hand over the little shit!" Natsuki reeled at the insult to her companion,<br>"Now that's just pathetic on your part!" She scoffed, "Mistaking him for a rat isn't so bad because at least they're both _mammals_, but a piece of dung? Really Hidan, did your mother not teach you that what you crap out isn't alive?" She shook her head in a pitying manner. Hidan growled and threw his scythe to the ground where the three blades stuck in.  
>"Quit your damn yapping and let me sacrifice it already!"<br>"You are not getting anywhere near Chikakon!" Natsuki grabbed Kisame by the cloak and pushed him forwards, "Get 'im Sharky!" Kisame stumbled and turned back to look at her.  
>"What? I'm obviously ill, look at me," She gestured to herself, "I need a slave to beat up the brainless idiot over there." She waved a hand in Hidan's direction, grinning when he grabbed his scythe again. Kisame rolled his eyes, trying not to smirk.<br>"You can't be that ill if you have the energy to argue with Hidan-" Natsuki gasped and threw her arm over her eyes,  
>"Oh no! I'm- I'm feeling faint-" She collapsed backwards dramatically. Chikakon jumped out of her arms and whined, pushing his nose into her face. Her head lolled to the side and she hung her tongue out. Kisame poked her and she cracked an eye open,<br>"Don't poke the dead lady." Hidan snorted,  
>"<em>Lady? <em>As if." Natsuki flew upright,  
>"Hell yes! Look, I've got boobs and everything!" She started to unfold her top. Hidan cursed and covered his eyes,<br>"Bitch, no! Stop it- Fuck!" He grabbed his scythe and fled the infirmary. Natsuki smirked triumphantly, tying her white kimono up tightly. She hadn't even had to show anything to send him running. Kisame frowned at her and she looked at him innocently.  
>"What? I can just put it down to my poor, delirious, sickly mind forcing me to do things I never would." Kisame just sighed and hit her over the head. Lightly of course. Natsuki glared at him,<br>"Whatever fish-man."

Over the next couple of days, Natsuki was visited by both Kakuzu and Sasori for check-ups. Her severed achilles tendon would take a long time to heel apparently, but her system was responding well to the antidote Sasori had given her. Itachi also visited, but not as much as Kisame and Chikakon. Hidan stayed away for a while, but then made his reappearance. With a blindfold. His 'genius idea' didn't get him very far because he ended up pointing his scythe at the lab desk and demanding it to give it sacrifice-able things. Kakuzu, being there at the time, had lopped his head off and bowled it down the corridor. His body was promptly tossed into a bin. After two weeks in the infirmary, she was finally allowed to return to her room.

"I'm fine, seriously." Natsuki batted the hands away that were trying to help her up. She took hold of her makeshift crutches again and pulled herself into them. She lurched forwards, having to hop about to avoid falling over. Kakuzu grabbed her shoulder and she sent him a miffed frown,  
>"I had it under control." She said. Kisame looked at her, noticing something was off. When she had gotten up and fell off balance, there had been a look on her like... He didn't quite know. It couldn't be good though. Natsuki shrugged off Kakuzu's hand and tested out the new crutches. Whilst she was used to a walking stick, two of them were a little hard to handle. She wobbled and hopped about some more on her sometimes-alright leg. With a sigh, she realised that the next few months were going to be a real pain.<p>

Kisame and Chikakon walked beside her as she made her way back to her room. Kisame cast her a concerned glance every now and then and not always when she wobbled about on her crutches. In return, she looked at him like he was a weirdo. She finally turned to face him,  
>"What are you looking at me like that for?" Kisame stopped, not knowing what to say exactly. They stood looking at each other in silence for what seemed like hours to Natsuki, though she was never one to be particularly patient.<br>"You're... you were acting strange in the infirmary." He eventually decided to say. Natsuki huffed and pursed her lips. She checked the hall for people before yanking him into her room. Chikakon darted through the door before it slammed shut.  
>"There's a problem." She said. "Orochimaru - Kabuto- One of them..." Kisame's brows pulled together and he struggled to hold in a snarl. They had done something more terrible than experimentation to her, he could hear it in her voice. Natsuki pulled in a shaky breath,<br>"My tail's gone."

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><p><strong>Finally some non-seriousness! But then it turned serious again DX<strong>

**No-one won last chapter because no-one entered, oh well :)**

**This chapter wasn't as good as I wanted to be. Very OOC Kisame. Ah, I'm tired. Blarg, updates will be slow from now on, I can feel my inspiration being shoved out by writer's block already -_-**


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